Starling
by Contorce
Summary: I didn’t know where to go but I knew I had to get away.I guessed if I killed someone, God wouldn’t really notice the little things I did wrong.This is one of the things I did right though.I signed my name, Max, on the line.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer - This applys to the whole chapter so that I don't have to keep writing it out. Newsies belongs to Disney and not to me. The OCs belong to be, just like the plot. **

The winter of 1899 was the coldest that New York had seen in the last twenty years. Every night, people froze out on the streets and even in unheated tenements. I was in one of those unheated tenements, living with my dad. My mum and older brother and sister had run out years ago, because my father beat them. I was only eight then, and now I'm thirteen. They would have taken me with them, but I was playing in Central Park, and they couldn't find me. My dad didn't start to beat me until a year ago and it just got worse and worse since then. My dad was drunk most of the time and could only find work at the poor factories with bad conditions.

That one night, it went too far, and I was scared for my life. That's really the only reason my hand found the knife and stabbed at him. I didn't mean to kill him, I was just so scared. Most of the time, I pretend to be brave, but the truth is, I'm scared to die. Well, my dad was breathing hard and bleeding even harder. I was sure that he was dying and I didn't want to hang around to find out. The last words I heard him say were swears in his native language of Italian.

I didn't know where to go, but I knew I had to get away. The police could make an educated guess on who had murdered him and they would probably put me in jail. I roamed the streets for about an hour and saw enough of prostitutes and dirty men that I made a choice.

You see, I'm a girl. My name is Kylah and like I said before, I'm thirteen. I'm real small for my age, which is the plague of my life. It looks like I'm eleven or so, and I have to stick up for myself a lot. I have grey eyes that I think are as drab as the sides of the tenements. My hair is light brown hair, with a reddish tint from my Irish mum. I guess you could call me pretty, but I'm not beautiful or anything. I'm more plain than anything else.

Well anyway, I knew that if I stayed a girl on the streets, I'd probably be doing things that the Catholic priests always told us never to even think about. Also, the police would be looking for a girl and I'd be a boy.

I broke into a rag shop and stole the best clothes I could find, which were no more than rags. I also borrowed a pair of scissors and cut my hair short. Or I tried to. If you've ever cut your own hair, you'll understand. There wasn't a mirror, but I could feel it. It was still about four inches long, because I wasn't going to trust those rusty scissors too close to my head. It was ragged and a blind man could've done better. I didn't think too hard on it though, and took off my dress and knickers and put on the rags. I almost forgot one thing though. While I'm small and young, my chest area isn't exactly flat. I got a scrap of cloth and kind of wrapped it around and tied it, and it worked as long as I didn't take my shirt off.

I also stole some bread crusts from a basket behind the counter in the front of the rag shop. I know it sounds like I'm wild and dishonest, but that night I guessed if I killed someone, God wouldn't really notice the little things I did wrong. Like I said before, it was cold outside. After I left, I had to run through the streets to keep warm, and I kind of got lost. All I know was, I left Brooklyn one minute and found myself lost the next. I didn't bother trying to find my way back, but I came to a square with a statue in it.  
It had started to snow and I could hardly see anything. There was a building across from the statue with a trash can next to it. Normally, I would never think about doing what I did, but that wasn't a normal situation. At least it was empty, I had thought when I climbed in. I guess that I started to get really cold, because I kept almost falling asleep. I knew that if I did, I'd freeze.

Later, I was told that that snow storm was the worst ever and it was at least twenty below. I guess that's why Mr. Kloppman, the old man who ran the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House, opened his doors to any street kid who need a place to stay the night. I don't really remember that part, but I do remember being yanked from my can by two older boys and carried into the lodging house.

I woke up in a nice soft bed. I almost fell back asleep, but I woke up with a jolt. I was worried that someone had found out about my being a girl. Luckily though, no one had. I was in a large room with about twenty bunks in it. There were at least two boys in each bed, more if the kids were smaller. I have to say, I was a bit nervous with all those boys at first.

I was sleeping next to a boy who was quite a bit bigger than I was and had tight black curls. I was on a bottom bunk, which was good because I fell out of it with the surprise at waking up next to a boy. That woke him up he offered me a hand to get me off the floor. I took it and I was back on the bed again. I was quite aware of my true gender.

Mush was nice though and once he had woken up a bit, we talked. The newsies accent was to turn "th" into "d" and "er" into "a." I'd write it down, but it would be too hard. I've talked that way for so long that it seems normal for me.

Mush introduced himself and asked my name. I froze up because I couldn't very well say Kylah, and I hadn't thought of a boy's name to use. The first name that popped into my head was Max, which was my father's name. Mush also asked if I had a place to stay and I told him no. He told me that if Jack, that's the Manhattan newsies leader, said I could, I should sell papes with them. I liked that idea. It was better than begging, and my soul was in enough danger already without me stealing. Anyway, I was a boy now and they could do anything.

This is where I'll plunge into the story.

"I'd like to." I said. Just then, Mr. Kloppman came into the room and started to wake the boys up. The other street kids left, but I stayed. Once the boys were all awake, Mush led me over to Jack. He looked to be almost eighteen, and he was tall. Sometime the newsies called him Cowboy. Everyone in New York City had heard of how he led the Newsies Strike and I was a bit nervous to meet him.

"Hey Jack," Mush began. "Max here wants to be a newsie. That okay with you?" I shifted uneasily under the scrutiny of Jack's gaze.

"How old are you, kid?"

"Thirteen." They laughed and I flushed angrily. I knew I was small but they could have given me the benefit of the doubt.

Jack shook his head. "How old are you really?"

"I swear," I said, "I swear that I'm really thirteen. I'm just small."

"No kidding," said a boy with an Italian accent and a cigar. I gave him a glare hot enough to thaw ice, but I don't think it fazed him.

"Alright," Jack broke in, "You can't sell in those clothes though. It'll give us newsies a bad name."

"I don't have any others!"

"Kloppman has some. He'll give them to Max, especially if he knows Max'll be a paying customer." A kid with a crutch said.

"Crutchy's right," Mush said. "I'll go sign him up and get him some new clothes right now." Jack nodded his consent and the other boys started getting ready. Mush and me found Mr. Kloppman and I signed my name, Max, on the line. Mr. Kloppman showed me a box of clothes and Mush left to get ready while I picked some out. I chose a pair of long black pants and a grey shirt with a high collar that left unbuttoned. Before all that, I put on a flannel shirt and underwear. I didn't want to take too many clothes, but I knew I had to take a vest or I would freeze. I chose a black one. It only took me about two minutes to choose my clothes and change, but when I was done, the newsies were already thundering down the stairs. I ran to join them.

The newsies were loud and even walking down the street was a game for them. The younger ones played pirates with sticks as swords. The older ones rough housed or talked. I hung around Mush, who mainly shoved the other boys and got shoved. I got shoved a lot too, and shoved back. I suppose I shoved harder than the other boys to show them that though I was small, I wouldn't be pushed around.

I didn't know where we were going, but then I saw nuns handing out food. Suddenly, I felt shy, like they could see what I did and who I was. I hung back, but Mush pulled me forward so I could get a roll. I ate it hungrily and wished that there was more. I would get used to the half-hungry feeling, as it would be my constant companion for most of my time with the newsies.

After we ate, we headed over to the Manhattan World Distribution Center. I realized than that I didn't have any money.

"Mush," I said urgently and quietly, "You think that they'll spot me a couple papes?" Mush laughed and to my humiliation, repeated my question to the others. They also laughed.

"Course not," said Jack. "But tell you what. To become a newsie you got to have a…um." David supplied the correct word. "Yah, an initiation."

"What's an initiation?" I asked resignedly. It sounded hard.

"It means we tell you to do something and you do it." Racetrack, the Italian kid with the cigar, said.

"What do I have to do?" I asked. I was hoping that it wouldn't be painful or dangerous. I wasn't afraid, I just didn't want to make a fool of myself.

"Well, Max," Jack said, "We're going to buy you a hundred papes and you have to sell them in an hour." My mouth dropped down to the street.

"A hundred? Right. I'll do it. You'll see." I guess that I was nodding too hard or didn't sound so sure of myself because they boys started laughing again. I scowled. Everything I did set them off. I waited in line with the others, my face falling a bit when I saw how many papes a hundred was. I walked outside the gate.

"Have you read the headline yet?" Mush questioned. I shook my head and looked at the front page. In shock.

"It's a good headline today. Man Is Murdered Daughter Suspected." Mush shook his head. "Who would do a thing like that?"

"I don't know." To me, my voice sounded dry and fake. "Maybe she had a good reason." The boys shook their heads at my answer. "Well, maybe she did. Maybe he was mean to her. Maybe he beat her mother." The boys laughed as I spoke indignantly.

Then, we all went our separate ways to sell.

I tried hard, I really did, but I guess I needed practice. I was little, so I sold more that way. It was also hard to shout the headline out loudly and finding some way to say it that it would interest people. The fact was, after an hour, I had only sold fifty papes. I still went back and found Jack like he had told me to. I was afraid that he would tell me that I couldn't be a newsie. Instead, Jack told me that fifty papes were good for the first try and that I could be a newsie. He said that even he couldn't sell a hundred in a hour and to sell the rest of my papes. My heart was considerably lighter after that and I went about selling the rest of my papes happily. The only downside of my first day as a newsie was hearing my crime shouted all over the streets as a headline.

**If you like it, review. I'm not going to force you, as if I could. But please, tell me if Max/Kylah is a MarySue and if you like the fanfic in the "I" first person form thing. If you don't, I'll think about changing it. I just realized how few Newsies fanfics there are in first person, so whatever.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I just want everyone to know that I changed Kylah's name to Kate, b/c like my reviewers said, it was rare and out-of-time-period. **

CHAPTER TWO

I soon grew into my routine as a newsie and a boy. My days were filled with both work and fun. By day I sold papes and ran around the streets. At night, I learned to play poker. Racetrack always won. At first, I lost all the time, but soon improved. I gained the newsies accent and became a professional at selling papes. Days grew into weeks and weeks into months. I didn't think too hard on it, but I had been with the newsies now for about two months. I congratulated myself on keeping both of my secrets for so long, but after two months it grew harder. The long winter was ending and it was almost June.

I was woken up that day with Mush over my face. I had gotten over the awkward feeling on sleeping in a room full of boys (by now I had my own bed), but waking up with someone in your face is annoying. I pushed him out of my way and swung myself out of bed.

"Mush, what are you doing? It's not even dawn yet!" I growled because morning is not my favorite part of the day.

"Wake up, Max!" Mush was disgustingly cheerful. "Today Jack's making us take baths." Cold sweat washed over me. The newsies didn't have a sense of privacy and not doubt the one tub would be in the middle of a crowded room.

"I don't need a bath. I'm clean." I protested.

"Yah," Mush said sarcastically, "Clean as dirt." I made a face.

"Jack can't make me take a bath and neither can you!" Mush just rolled his eyes.

I knew that I was filthy. I hadn't taken a bath for months. It's just, being on the street most of the time, you don't worry about being squeaky clean. Hey, I was lucky if I washed my hands and face once a day.

Well, I knew that if I stayed in the room that I would inevitably have a bath, so I scrammed. The fire escapes are very useful that way. I slept in my clothes, so all I had to do was jump out the window. After selling that day, Jack came and found me.

"C'mon Max, what's wrong?" I looked at him quizzically. "You know what I mean. What's with you and baths?" My mind scrambled for an answer.

"I'm clean. I don't like to get wet."

"You smell worse than any of us and look filthy." After his response sunk in, I sneered elegantly. Actually, I doubt it looked elegant. "Don't get mad on me Max. It's true."

Race came up behind me. "What's the matter, Max? Afraid to be like the rest of us?" My face turned beet red with fury.

"I am not! You're the scab, taking baths regular!" Jack and Race started to laugh. It was true. Jack took baths once a week ever since meeting his girl, David's sister, and Race wasn't much better.

"Hey, maybe this kid should come with us ta Brooklyn?" Race shot Jack a look that I missed.

"Yah, to meet Spot right?" Jack grinned.

I blindly and innocently trusted them. "Spot Conlon, leader of Brooklyn, he who can slingshot better than anyone?" I had heard the legends.

"That's the one. Maybe you'll be able to breathe the air that he did." Race joked.

I could barely contain my excitement as I followed the boys down the streets. I chattered like those little birds that roost in the rafters of the lodging house, the starlings. Many times Jack and Race told me to shut up and they quieted me for a minute or two, but no more than that.

The change into Brooklyn was gradual. I hardly even noticed when I passed the market where I had bought the food for me and my Dad. I did notice the tenement where I had lived for almost my whole life. I recognized it because of the cracked window and yellow painted door with the hole in the corner. I tried to act as if I had never been to Brooklyn before, but anyone who was born there knew how to get to the docks.

Being late May, the day was warm and humid for the afternoon. The docks were noisy and crowded with newsboys and street kids. Most of the boys had stripped down to their underwear and two months ago I would have flushed with embarrassment. After staying with the Newsies, who still thought me a boy, I had seen my share of half-naked boys. However hard I tried to ignore them, I didn't want to act like a sissy.

Anyway, boys were diving off the docks right and left. I was one of the youngest kids around and I felt maybe just a bit awkward. My eyes darted right and left to avoid being shoved off the pier but I also was checking for Spot Conlon, the man, the legend.

I saw him leaning against a wooden beam with his trademark gold-tipped cane. I followed as Jack and Race walked right up to their friend. This part of the docks was quieter and less crowded. Only one or two older boys horsed around in the water near the place where Spot stood.

"Hey, Spot, what've you been up to these days?" Jack spit on his hand and Spot did the same. They shook hands in a familiar gesture.

"Nothin' much, Jacky-boy. How's your gamblin' these days, Race?" Spot still hadn't looked at me and I was beginning to feel like an idiot.

"Better than usual. The tracks have been good too." Race and Spot shook spit hands.

"Spot, this is Max. He's new, but he works hard." Jack introduced me, but I hung back, not knowing what to do.

"So, why'd you bring him?" Spot asked the question that even I could not answer.

"For reasons of our own." Race winked at Spot and I began to be suspicious.

"The kid stinks." Spot commented.

"Really?" Race said sarcastically. "I wouldn't have noticed."

"Can he talk?" Spot raised an eyebrow at me.

"Sure I can." I answered indignantly.

"Can you swim?" Jack asked with a mischievous air about him.

I really couldn't, but I didn't want to appear weak. "I'm no sissy. I swim like a fish." I spoke boldly, but I was nervous about why they were asking. "I hate to swim, though."

"What about bathing?" Jack shoved me off the dock before I had a chance to react.

Arms flailing, I barely managed to keep from screaming as I was knocked off into open air. I forgot to take breathe before I hit the water and sunk like a rock. I gulped in water and choked. Desperation forced my arms to move and my legs to kick. For an awful moment, I could have sworn that I was going to drown. My head broke the surface and I had time for one gasping breath before I sunk again.

I suppose that a less determined person would have given themselves up, but I'm more stubborn than most. I kicked as hard as I could and reached the surface once more before Jack's strong arm held me up. He had jumped in when he had seen that I couldn't swim at all.

I was dragged up the piling and deposited on the dock. I threw up the salty harbor water and took deep breaths of fresh air.

"The kid's a liar." Spot sounded amused at my predicament.

"Look on the bright side, Max." Race teased. "Both you and your clothes are cleaned."

As soon as I had caught my wind, I stood shivering. "You could have warned me!" I shouted.

"You shouldn't have lied!" Jack laughed. "You were dirty and at least you smell better."

"I'm cold and wet!" I complained. "You should have warned me." I insisted.

"I'm just as cold and wet as you are." Jack shot back. "Because of your lie. So we'll call it even."

I glared at him but hoped that the warm air would dry my clothes soon. Besides, I was cleaner and my secret wasn't discovered.

"So, what's up with Manhattan?" Spot asked friendly to Jack. They began a conversation that I didn't feel much like listening too.

"C'mon, Max, how about we teach you how to swim?" Race was older than me and I could hardly say no.

The rest of the afternoon was spent learning how to tread water. Race told me that if I could learn that, then the swimming would come naturally. I tried my best, but by the end of the day, could only tread water for about three minutes. I hadn't even tried swimming yet.

Jack and Race had finally finished catching up. "The kid does work hard, you can say that for him." Spot agreed with Jack's earlier statement.

I shivered as I climbed up the pillar again. I had refused to take off my clothes, so that I didn't get found out as a girl. I was wearing my long underwear and my black pants and gray shirt, all of which were soaked, but cleaner than they had been.

After we left Brooklyn and were in the Lodging House, I had to endure some teasing about the incident. No one seemed to take pity on my thin, shaking body, but then again, they'd probably been through much worse.

**Read and review and my day will be made.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry that it's taken so long to update, but school's finishing up and I've been real busy. I'll update more frequent during the summer. **

**CHAPTER THREE **

I knew it wasn't long before the Newsies noticed that I would never take off my clothes in front of anyone else. They teased me about being a fairy and a queer, but they stopped soon enough when I didn't react to it. I think Jack might have asked them to stop too. I did earn the nickname, Stripper, though, for what I didn't do. It was kind of funny and I really didn't mind. I was actually honored to be given a nickname. I even stopped answering to Max.

A few weeks after the incident at the docks, one of the older Newsies, David or Mouth as some called him, learned that I had never been to school. Sure, I could read a bit, but it was a trial. David is real nice, and he insisted on teaching me. I had no idea why he was treating me so nice and I asked Mush. Mush told me that that was just the way David was. He treated everyone the same and thought that everyone should get an education. I thought it was foolishness. I could read simple words and handle the money it took me to buy the papes. What else was there?

I lot more, I guess. The first afternoon lesson was me reading out loud. It took me ten minutes to read one short poem. David read it first and it sounded nice, like water flowing over stones, but when I read it, it sounded choppy and ugly. Then, David made me add numbers together. I found it pointless, since I could work money up to a dollar, but he didn't.

Every afternoon and evening, David spent about an hour teaching myself. I'd be lying if I said that I was a good pupil. First of all, I was a reluctant learner. I didn't think that I needed to know anymore and I'd rather be outside with the boys playing stickball. Also, I just didn't learn fast. Whatever was taught to me took a while to soak in. That meant lots of repetition. All I can say is that David was a patient teacher, bordering on sainthood.

Anyway, David taught me for a couple weeks before bringing me home to meet his family. I just want to say here, that David didn't know that I was a girl and I didn't have any sort of feelings that way for him. We were just friends and that's the way it would stay. Besides, I knew his brother, Les, who was just a year or two younger than me. We weren't the best of friends, but we had spent some time together, along with a couple other newsies.

I guess that maybe David felt a bit sorry for me. I didn't talk about my family much, at all, really. Sometimes, though, when I started to daydream, I would remember. My ma, mostly, through I hadn't seen her for five years, and my older brother and sister. My eyes would fill with tears, which the newsies teased me for, but I'd get this stony look on my face. That's when I'd remember what I did for me Da. He wasn't a bad sort, really, just down on his luck. Although I had only thought about my family once in front of the boys, once I did it during my lessons. David probably guessed who I was thinking about.

So he thought that I needed some family influence, although it wasn't my own family, and invited me to dinner at his place. I was somewhat excited for the rest of that day, but then I started to worry about what they'd think of me. I didn't dare voice these worries to David, in case he'd think less of me. I mostly stayed quiet on the walk to his house, a small apartment in Manhattan.

Les was also with us, and the first thing he said as he walked in the house was, "This is Stripper."

I had never been as mortified in my life. Sure, I didn't mind it around the boys and not around men, but there were two ladies here. I hadn't had much interaction with other women for a long time, even longer than I'd been with the newsies. I blushed bright red and figured that if anything was the end of the world, this was it.

Sarah, she was Jack's girl as well as David's brother, just laughed. "Well, that's an interesting name."

"Call me Max." I managed to get out.

"How do you do, Max?" David's mother asked.

"Well, thanks. Howda do, ma'am. Sir, Miss." I was unsure of how to act, but I bowed a bit as a sign of respect.

"Why don't you come and sit down?" David's mum seemed kind. "Supper isn't much, but there's enough."

"I don't have high standards and whatever you're cookin' smells real fine." I was surprised that anyone would actually care how I felt about what I ate.

They laughed at what I said, startling me again. It turned out that supper was a stew, somewhat thin, but delicious all the same. The question of my family came up halfway during the meal.

"Do you know your parents?" Les questioned me in the middle of a discussion about factory unions. I suppose that he had meant the question to be private, but the conversation had kind of quieted down and I had to answer the question in total silence.

I was pale, not knowing what to say. These were dangerous waters. I couldn't let on about the murder, could I?

"I knew my ma once, but she left." I figured my siblings didn't need to be included. "I left my dad 'bout three…years ago."

"Why?" Les inquired. I know he didn't mean anything by it, he was just curious.

"Les." His mother chided him. "Don't be rude."

I didn't want to interfere, so I let that go, but when the talk started up again, I mouthed 'He beat me' back to Les. I had thought it over and decided that it wasn't some dark secret to be hidden. I didn't need to go looking for pity, but Les had asked. I caught Sarah staring in my direction, so I thought that she might have seen what I "said."

I stayed for about an hour after supper. When it was time to say goodbye, I stood awkwardly, stubbing the toe of my shoe on the floorboards. They attempted to make some more small talk before I left.

"So, Max, how long have you been a newsie?" David's father asked.

"Um, about three months or so." I answered.

"What have you been doing since you left your father?" The man was being to intimidate me and I looked at him suspiciously.

"Nothing, really. Just…around." I spoke vaguely, hoping to evade further questioning.

"Mayer, stop it." The mother protested.

"It's alright. It's just, it's hard to talk about." I said. I felt like Sarah could see through my lie, she was staring at me so oddly again. "I better be off. It's getting late.

"I'm sorry if we've kept you." David's mother said.

"Naw, dinner was great and so's the company." I took off my hat and gave an uncertain half-bow.

"Can you get home alright on your own?" David asked.

"I'm no dunce." I answered. I bid them goodnight and rushed down the fire escape. At first I kind of wanted to show off a bit, and I really ran-jumped-fell as fast as I could. I almost fell down four stories and I stopped and walked slower after that. It didn't matter if I'd put on a good show if I was dead, did it?

I ran quickly through the streets, not wanting to look scared, but it was dark and there was an eerie feel to the air. I didn't understand it, but I did understand what I saw next.

I'm not saying that this doesn't happen often in the city, but I'm not saying that it does. Let's just say, you'll hopefully never see anything like this, pray that you don't.

So I was maybe just a little bit lost, and I turned into this even darker street. I'll never forget what I saw. There were four bodies lying, sprawled in the middle of the street. I was almost on top of them, even though I noticed them as soon as they came to view. The biggest, a man, had his chest all torn up and bloody. I recognized them as knife wounds, and there were at least fifteen of them. His skin was so mashed that I couldn't tell one hole from another and I could even see some of the guts. The bile rose into my throat and I could barely keep it in.

The next was a woman, most likely the man's wife. Her neck was at a strange angle and it looked broken. Her face was blue and she looked frozen. I shuddered.

The two that really got to me were the two boys. The oldest, only about eight or so, had his whole hand chopped off. It was a bloody stump and I could see the bone and nerve endings. He looked as if he'd been skinned and his neck was slit. There was a puddle of blood around him and I'm sure I could have splashed through it had I a mind to. The youngest boy, most likely five, had his head bashed in. I could see the shiny, cracked white of his skull. That wasn't all. His heart had been cut out of his little chest and placed in his hand. I felt dizzy and everything was spinning. This time, my stomach heaved frantically and the contents streamed out of my mouth and nose.

I couldn't stop heaving, on my hands and knees on the ground. Even after everything in my stomach was gone, I kept coughing. I looked up, a mistake, and started to sob. The parents were bad enough, but the kids just got to me. I got up, ignoring the blood that I had knelt in, and ran. I didn't know where I had gone until Mayer, David's father opened the door.

"What in the world?" He opened the door a bit wider and I stumbled in. The family was still sitting in the main room and collectively gasped. David stood and rushed over to me.

"Strip, are you alright?" David pushed me over to a chair, but I refused to sit in it.

"They're dead…all four…just lying there…" I started to sob again, and closed my eyes, but the gruesome scene came up again.

"Who's dead?" Les looked frightened, maybe thinking it was some of the newsies.

"I dunno…a family…two boys…" I shrugged.

"Does anyone else know about them?" Mayer asked. The two women were still in a state of shock.

"No." I shook my head long after it was needed.

"We'll stop by the police. You'll have to take us there." Mayer put his hands gently on my shoulders.

"Can I come?" Les begged.

"No!" I screamed at him, but then my voice softened. "You don't want to."

David and Mayer were the only ones who came with me. I couldn't seem to make my legs work well enough. I walked stiffly as if I, not the boys, were dead. The police station was only a couple minutes away and I remembered the way back to the bodies perfectly.

I started to laugh at the expression on the officers and David and his dad's face, but I think it was hysteria. I sat on the ground with my head on my knees and wiped the tears and snot off my face with the back of my grimy hand.

"Neither of you should stay longer than you have to. Take the boy and get him cleaned up. We'll handle this." One of the officers spoke to David and Mayer in low tones.

"Strip, get up." David nudged me with his foot. I refused to budge. Sighing, he picked me up as if I was a small child. I want to remind everyone once again that although this would be a perfect romantic setting IF David knew I was a girl and he liked me and I liked him, it was not that way.

David carried me home and I felt safe in his secure hold. Mayer opened the door for him and the bright lamp-light burned my closed eyelids. David deposited me on the floor and I swayed. Les was sitting up in bed, curiously watching us three. Sarah was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Did you go to the police?" David's mother, Esther asked.

"Yes. Max had to help us find the scene." Mayer explained.

"You made the poor boy look at that again?" Esther put her hands on her hips and glared at the two men.

"I was fine." I said in a strong voice. If there was anything to say about me, I could bawl my eyes out, then in ten minutes be composed again. Of course, my eyes and face were still blotchy.

"Let's get you out of those clothes." Esther clucked at them. I looked down and saw that they were bloody from when I knelt down in the puddle by the bodies.

"They're fine." I said automatically. Really, they were just bloody from the knees down, but there were a couple smudges on the white shirt that I wore.

"They need to be washed." Esther counteracted.

"Can we burn them?" I shuddered at the bloodstains and the murder scene once again came to mind.

"Waste not, want not." The kind woman argued. Seeing my relentless gaze, she nodded indulgently. "Take off your pants."

"Do I have to?"

"Stripper is a little shy in front of people." David sort of teased.

"No, it's just…" I failed to find an answer and rubbed my eyes.

"Leave Max alone." Esther chided. "I think we have some old things of yours that would fit him. He looks a bit bigger than Les, though not by much."

I scowled at the reference to my size, but not for very long.

"I'll find the old things." Sarah volunteered. "Max, come into our parents' room while you change."

I discarded the black pants that I'd worn for my whole stay as a newsie. They had been meant for a larger boy, and were torn to pieces where they had dragged on the ground. I took off my grey shirt and shivered in my flannel underwear. They didn't reach to the knee, and so had not been stained. I washed my legs over with a wet washcloth.

Sara knocked on the wooden door. "Just pass them through!" I called back to her and opened the door a slit. I took the clothes and inspected them before putting them on. The pants were a brownish color and when I slipped into them, they fell just below my knees. The shirt was thin cotton, which I was glad of, since it was the summer. It was similar to my old grey one, in that it had a collar and long sleeves.

After I was dressed, I looked down at my chest. It wasn't exactly big, but I didn't want to take my chances. I took my old shirt, which would be burned anyway, and ripped off the clean backing. It was harder than I had thought. I took the fabric square and ripped it into strips, which I tied together to make one long strip. I wrapped this strip around my chest and placed the knots under my arms. No one would notice them.

"Did you fall asleep in there?" David rapped on the door and I hastily pulled my hands out of my shirt.

"I just hafta put my shoes on." I pulled my scuffed and muddy shoes on my bare feet. They came up about four inches past my ankle and were too big, but I didn't mind.

I hopped to the door, readjusting one of my shoes, and yanked it open. The family, except for Les who was asleep in bed now, was sitting around the table.

"We were just talking about you, Max. We think that you should sleep here tonight." Mayer smiled kindly at me.

"You've been through a lot and it's late." Esther stood and moved to my side. She touched my greasy hair that covered my head and ears like a shaggy hat. I could just tell that she was thinking up a bath and haircut.

"I could always leave…" I moved swiftly towards the door, but David blocked it.

"Stripper, you're staying here for the night and that's all."

I did end up staying the night, which was good because I had the first of my nightmares then. It started out with me walking through the streets, like I had before I found the bodies. I turned the same corner and saw the family of four, just as they had been when I found them. I looked to the side and saw my ma, dad, brother, and sister. They were dead too, like the other family.

I felt something behind me and twisted around. The murderer was there, holding a knife and a gun. I screamed in my dream and tried to run, but I was firmly planted on the ground. The man came closer and closer and closer. He raised the knife and jerked it down!

"Ahhhhhhh!" I screamed, out loud this time. I jerked up and looked around wildly. Les, who I had been bunking with, hadn't awakened. Sarah came out from her corner, though.

"Sorry if I woke you." I mumbled my apology.

"It's alright. Was that a nightmare?" She sat down on the bed next to me.

"I guess." I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm fine now."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sarah asked.

"Not really." I changed the subject. "You have a real nice family. They're nice and all."

I think that Sarah saw through my pretense, but ignored it. "Thanks. You know, there's something different about you."

I gulped under the older girl's scrutiny. "I'm normal, I promise."

"Do you have anything you want to tell me?" I think that she was giving me a chance to admit my real gender before she had to catch me.

"Yah, I'm tired."

"Max, if that's even your name, which I doubt, are you a girl?"

My face twisted and the color drained out of it. "You calling me a sissy?"

"Answer my question." Sarah was not dragged off the path.

"Yah." I muttered. "How did you know?"

"You have the air of a girl about you. It's a wonder no one else guessed. I also know how a girl feels and acts. I half-guessed, too." Sarah admitted.

"You won't tell anyone?" I hoped that she wouldn't.

"No, I promise. There are girl newsies. Why did you disguise yourself?" Sarah questioned.

"My dad was looking for me. I didn't want to be found. He didn't want me telling." I held my breath and wished that she wouldn't see through this lie. Yawning, I rubbed my eyes fiercely.

"I better let you get to bed."

I slept without a nightmare for the rest of the night. I woke early and ate a good, home-cooked meal for the first time in months. I left with David and Les to the Distribution Center, where we met the other newsies.

"So, you slept at the Mouth's last night?" Mush asked me.

"Yah, it was late and they let me stay over." I didn't want to tell them about the murders and gave Les and David a warning look.

"Hey, look at the pape?" Crutchy limped over and shook the front page at me, Mush, David, and Les.

**FAMILY OF FOUR MURDERED IN STREET**

The pape went on to describe how a young, sweet-looking boy had chanced upon the crime scene and gotten the police. I was grateful that they didn't mention my crying my eyes out.

"Young and sweet-looking? They wouldn't be describing you, now would they?" Mutty, an Irish boy a year or two older than me, joked around. He had no idea how right he was, but was just insulting me for fun.

Mutty and me had gotten close like that. He had told me that his real name was Levi and he had a family in the Irish part of Brooklyn. Mutty was the oldest of seven children. His father worked in a factory and his mother took care of the children at home. Mutty had to take up a job to help support his family.

"You calling me sweet?" I glared at him. "If I'm sweet, then you're a cursed angel."

Mutty grinned widely, crinkling the many freckles that littered his face like flies on a hot day. He had the black hair and the greenest eyes that I've ever seen.

"Then I suppose I'm a cursed angel." His voice had an Irish lilt to it.

I shoved him and he shoved me back. The rest of the day went as if nothing had gone wrong the night before. I slept well that night at the boarding home, only waking up once from the nightmare, and not making a sound.

**Hoped you all liked it. It was a bit longer than the other two chapters and definately more graphic. Odd enough, but I didn't even plan ahead for that part, it just happened. Review if you liked it and even if you didn't.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry that it took so long to get out but I was having some trouble with my computer and uploading the documents. Whatever, it's fixed now. I'm going on vacation, but I'll try to be good about writing. **

**CHAPTER FOUR**

For the record, I had left my dad in about February and now it was July. A sweltering, muggy hot New York July. Selling papes was the worst part of the day. It was torture just to get through the long hours. Sometimes Spot would invite the Brooklyn newsies down to swim at the dock. That was the best.

It was night now. I had just eaten dinner at the Jacobs; that was David and Les's place. About once a week, I slept in their apartment. Sarah treated me as if I was really a boy, but when we were alone, we talked. Not about my past, I would never tell her that I was a murderer, but just about normal things. Every night, I would have the same nightmare at least once. I would never scream or yell, but just wake up. I lost a lot of sleep that way, especially when I was too frightened to fall back asleep. They caught the murderer, so I don't know what I was afraid of. The killer had been crazy, insane, actually. They had hung him and I had watched. Other than the nightmares, I had no other effect from the murders.

The whole family was up on the roof. It was cooler there than back in the flat. David was sitting next to me, slumped over.

"How can it be this hot and still be earth?" David moaned.

"Hell couldn't be hotter." I agreed, making Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs, Sarah, and Les laugh. I didn't see why. It certainly wasn't funny.

"Do you have a religion?" Mrs. Jacobs asked curiously. Time and again she had told me to call her and her husband by their first names, but I just didn't.

"I guess I was Catholic. I dunno, but my da never took me. Ma tried before she left. If I wanted to go, I went, which wasn't often." I didn't want to admit that I found the priests' lectures very boring and that I felt stupid among all the chapel finery. I certainly hadn't gone after I killed my dad.

"We're Protestant ourselves. We go to church Sundays. You've probably noticed that David and Les haven't sold then." Mr. Jacobs said.

"You could come with us sometime." Mrs. Jacobs offered.

I shook my head immediately. "Church never set with me. I'd rather sell papes."

Les looked at his Ma pleadingly, but she glared at him. I guess he didn't like church either.

"When is the last time you've been to a confession?" Mrs. Jacobs kept at the religion stuff.

"Um…last week." I lied.

"I don't believe you. It's probably high time you went to one." She was acting motherly and it was getting to me, in a bad way. I suppose that I had been motherless so long, that I resented someone trying to mother me. I know, it doesn't make sense.

"I don't want to. I don't believe in confessions anyway." I was feeling especially rebellious. "I don't even believe in God."

There were five collective gasps from each member of the Jacobs family. I hid a grin. Alright, I believed in God, but not in confessions. They seemed stupid to me. I mean, the Bible taught that only God could forgive sins but now the priests could?

"You can't mean that!" Les looked at me with some kind of awe.

"Maybe I do." I shrugged. "Just cause some priest says there is, doesn't mean it's so."

"You poor child." Mrs. Jacobs looked horrified.

"I'm not poor." I tossed a quarter up in the air and caught it again. "Neither is God (if he's even real) if he loses one believer."

"That's blasphemy!" Mrs. Jacobs whispered. I snickered at the look on her face. "Mayer, don't just laugh, do something!"

Mr. Jacobs was laughing. I suppose that he saw through my little bluff. "Leave Max alone. His beliefs are his own."

"Well, I won't have anyone talk like that in my home!" Mrs. Jacobs put her foot down. I had been goading her and I don't mean to make her seem mean, cause she isn't.

I had been wanting a good fight all day. "I guess I'll just leave then." I stood up.

"Strip, the boarding house is shut up for the night." David watched me with interest.

"I'll sleep on the streets then. I hate families anyway." I strode over to the fire escape, ignoring the hurt look on Les and Sarah's faces. David knew me well enough to know that I didn't mean it.

Mrs. Jacobs looked abashed. "Max, I'm sorry. It's this blasted heat. Come back, I won't say another word."

I stopped, also feeling guilty. "No, it was me too. I was just raring for a fight. I'll be back."

I walked slowly down the fire escape. It seemed the heat wave had affected the whole city. People in general were more snappy and irritable. Even the newsies hadn't been themselves. I found an alleyway with other street kids in it, and slept. I had done this more than a couple times since I had joined the newsies, so it was nothing different.

The next day, Mutty was not at the Distribution Center. I didn't see him all day, but I wasn't worried. I got worried when he didn't come for the next two days. I wanted to find out what was wrong with him, but I didn't know where he lived. No one in Manhattan knew, actually. The only who I could ask was Spot Conlon, the most revered newsie in New York.

I took less papes than usual and finished selling early. I didn't tell any of my friends where I was going, in case they laughed. I walked to Brooklyn nervously, wondering if Spot would know or if he would tell me.

Spot was swimming near the docks. I waited until he got out and pulled his clothes on. Then, I approached him.

"Can I have a moment of your time?" I asked, bowing my head a bit, not meeting his eye.

"Make it quick." Spot said, not unkindly.

"Well, Mutty hasn't been around for a bit and I was worried about him. I heard that you and him weren't on the level, and maybe you knew where he lived." I shifted on my feet.

He was silent for a moment. "You would do that, come all the way over here for a friend?"

"It wasn't that far." I excused myself.

"I'll show you myself." Spot grabbed his cane and led the way.

"I'm sorry if I'm takin' time away from you." I hoped that he wasn't mad at me.

"Anything for my dear friend Mutty." Spot said sarcastically.

I decided to ignore that comment. Spot was nice enough to show me where my friend lived and I wasn't going to pick at him.

"You ever been to the tenements of Brooklyn?" The older boy asked.

"I used to live in one." I answered. I didn't know why he asked that, but he didn't say anything after. We walked through the crowded and narrow streets. I recognized my old tenement from the yellow door with the hole. Spot stopped in front of one of the more rundown and trashy tenements, although most were that way.

"This is it. I think he's on the third level." Spot nodded at my thanks and walked slowly away.

I walked up the rickety stairs, dodging the children playing on them. When I got to the third level I stopped on the landing and stopped a child. "Do you know where Mutty… I mean Levi… lives? He's about fourteen, Irish?"

The girl shook her head, but a boy stepped up. "What do you want with him?" I was surprised at the mistrust in his voice.

"He's my friend. I'm a newsie in Manhattan."

"You Stripper?" He asked again.

"Yah, that's me." The boy approved of my answer and gestured for me to follow him. I studied him as I walked. He looked to be about ten years old or so, with Levi's green eyes and freckles. He had bright red hair, the brightest I've ever seen.

"Are you Mutty's brother?" I almost tripped over a basket of dirty laundry that took over half of the hallway.

"Yep, the name's Shaun." Shaun didn't say anything else, because he was opening a cracked door.

"Levi!" Shaun shouted loudly. "Levi, c'mere!"

Levi trudged into view holding a baby. He flushed bright red when he saw me, obviously embarrassed to be caught acting like a "girl."

"Hey, Levi. I was worried about you." Levi shrugged in response.

Levi looked exhausted. There were bags under his eyes and he had none of the usual jump in his step.

"What's wrong?" I asked. This wasn't like him.

"Ma died four days back. Da needs to be working at the factory."

"So you have to stay home and help." I finished for him.

"Leah's only twelve and she can't take care of the others by herself."

"I can help!" I volunteered.

"No, I wouldn't do that to you." Levi shook his head.

"Listen, Levi, I'm your friend. Friends help out each other. It's what I want to." I reached for the boy on his hip and transferred him to mine. "Start by telling me about your family."

"You're holding Alan. He's almost two." Alan was thin and frail. He had a crop of thick black hair and soft brown eyes.

"He's a cutie." I tickled Alan's nose and was graced by a huge smile.

"I'm eleven." Shaun held out his hand and I shook it.

"Leah? Come here for a minute. Bring the twins." A girl about my height came out from the other room, followed by two boys.

"Leah, this is…" Levi looked at me to see if I wanted to be called Stripper or not. I mouthed Max back to him. "…Max."

"Hello, Max." She had long black hair and brown eyes and was pretty. If I had been a boy, I bet I would have liked her that way.

"The twins are five. Patrick is the one with the black hair and Conner is the one with short hair." Levi laughed at Connor's face. Both the twins had dark blue eyes.

Conner scowled at the reference to his red hair, which was only about an inch long and somewhat spiky. "Wasn't my fault Ricky got mad at me!"

"Patrick shaved it off with Da's razor." Shaun told me with a grin.

"Maggie is playing with her friend but she's eight. You'll know her by her blond hair." Levi told me. To the others, he explained my being there. "Max is here to help out a bit. He's a newsie from where I work."

"Get some rest." I informed Levi. "You look awful."

"Oh, thanks." He grinned wryly. "Maybe I will." Levi sauntered into the other room.

I looked around the room I was in. It wasn't large at all. It had an iron stove in the corner, pipe reaching halfway up the wall and then going through it. A small wooden table and three chairs fit into the other corner. By the door, there was a cabinet that I suspected had the pots and dishes in it. One of the walls had a window that had no glass. The floor was dirty and needed to be swept. There were cobwebs on the ceilings and dirty dishes in a washtub on the floor.

Still holding Alan, I crossed the kitchen to look into the other room. It was hardly any bigger than the one I stood in now. A big bed took up most of the room, with an equally large, lumpy mattress under it. The sheets and blankets needed to be washed. Levi was already sleeping on the bed. There was a chest of drawers against the other wall. Three wooden slat crates were stacked against the same wall and a chest was at the end of the bed. I guessed that the clothes in the crates needed to be washed and mended.

I had been disguised as a boy for almost half a year now, but I was still a girl. I was glad of my feminine upbringing at times like these. Shifting little Alan on my hip, I grabbed a broom and began furiously sweeping.

"Shaun, can you get the cobwebs?" I asked him, seeing as he was taller than I was, even though he was about two years younger.

Groaning, he took the broom from me and attacked the corners in both rooms. I laughed at his antics.

"Leah, can you watch the kids for a bit? I'm gonna fetch some water." I handed Alan to her and grabbed a bucket. I clomped down the tenement stairs, headed to a pump that I had seen outside. When I got back to Levi's home, Shaun had finished the cobwebs and even the floors.

"Nice job." I told him, pouring the water over the dirty dishes in the washtub.

"Do you want me to get some more?" Shaun volunteered.

"Yes, please." I gratefully handed him the bucket and set to work on the dishes. Shaun had to make five more trips by the time I had finished the dishes. Leah washed out the inside of the kitchen cabinet with a wet rag and helped me stack the dishes inside of it.

"What are you planning to do with the water?" Shaun nudged the dirty dishwater with his foot. I gave him a mischievous look.

After we had poured the dishwater out the windows on unsuspecting passersby, I gathered all of the bedding. Shaun had to make even more trips, but he didn't complain this time. I guess he liked the game we played with the dirty water.

I washed all of the bedding, which wasn't much, then fluffed the thin, worn mattresses. While the bedding was drying, a young, blond girl who I took to be Maggie walked in.

She did a double take when she saw me. "Who are you?"

"I'm Levi's friend, here to help. I'm Max." I explained. Shaun nodded to confirm. Patrick and Conner ran up to Maggie, begging her to play. Maggie smiled and let them lead her to the bedroom, where their toys were.

"Let's think about supper then." I spoke out loud. Leah just stared at me.

"We ran out yesterday." Shaun looked down at the ground, ashamed.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out two quarters and a nickel. "I said I would help out. I meant it."

"Are you sure?" Leah asked, staring hungrily at the coins.

"Of course." I said firmly.

"Yes!" Shaun punched the air with his fist. "What'll we eat?"

"We can have whatever you want."

"Potatoes!" Leah smiled with anticipation of the meal.

"Sweet rolls and candy!" Shaun suggested.

"I want fruit!" Maggie pleaded from the other room.

"Me too!" Conner voiced.

"Anyway, I'll see what I can get. Does anyone want to come with me to the market?" I asked.

"Please, I want to go!" Leah begged and picked up a wicker basket.

Patrick walked out of the bedroom and grabbed Leah's hand.

"Do you want to come?" I thought maybe he did.

"Patrick doesn't talk, even to us." Shaun explained. "I bet he does want to go."

"Let's get going then." I led the way out of the apartment. After we were outside, I asked Leah a question. "Why doesn't he talk?"

"Ma used to say that the twins only had one voice between them and Conner took it for his own and refused to share it." Leah laughed. Her voice sounded a little sad, probably from remembering her ma.

"Is that it?" I wondered.

"I don't think so. We haven't had the money for the doctor to find out, but I don't think he wants to."

"Does he even have a voice?" Leah, Patrick, and me were almost to the stalls where the food was sold.

"He makes sounds sometimes. Once, he thought no one could hear him, but I heard him talking to a stray cat." Leah told me, lowering her voice so that Patrick wouldn't hear us talking about him.

Patrick wasn't listening and he tugged on Leah's arm. I followed his gaze and saw a stall with potatoes stacked high. I bought ten, for a half-cent apiece and set them in the basket. We also got two loaves of bread for a nickel. Leah didn't say anything, but I saw her gazing at a butcher shop. I picked out a soup bone that had enough meat on it to work for a stew and I bought cheap beans from a vendor.

I still had 29 cents left and figured that a couple sweet rolls wouldn't hurt. I paid a dime for nine rolls and some candy. I remembered that Maggie and Conner had wanted fruit and found some ripe apples. I bought as many as I could until my money ran out. I was holding the basket now, seeing as it was quite heavy.

We were greeted eagerly at the door and everyone volunteered to help cook. Shaun put a pot on to boil and Maggie and Leah readied the beans. I wisely tucked away the sweets because I knew what would happen to them if they were seen. I put the soup bone in the pot and watched it merrily bubble away.

Levi woke up when the smell start to spread throughout the two-room house. The spring was back in his step.

"Ah, Max, you shouldn't have." Levi said, but his heart wasn't in it. He helped me cut up the potatoes and put them in the stew.

"When is your Da gonna get home?" I asked.

"He gets home real late. The factory hours are bad." Shaun was stirring the stew and almost drooling.

"We should eat as soon as the stew's done then." Levi's voice was hopeful.

"Your decision." I told Levi. "You're older."

The truth was, I felt like I was in charge. Some people like that and I sometimes do too. Levi was older though, and this was his family. I felt that it was wrong to have everyone answering to me. I could help out, but I would not make all the decisions and boss them around.

Levi grinned at me. "Let's eat as soon as we can."

I put the bread and apples in the cabinet and got out the bowls and spoons. There weren't enough bowls to really go around, so Patrick and Conner shared one. At least they each had their own spoon.

The stew wasn't the best I'd ever had, but it still tasted okay after a day of hard work. Levi's family treated it like it was the best they'd ever had, probably because they hadn't eaten for a bit. Alan set on Levi's lap, who fed him bites from his own spoon. I thought that was cute, on both the boys' parts. It was kind of sweet.

Leah put some stew aside for her da and we got out the sweet rolls. Levi made the kids save the candy for the next day, so that they wouldn't get sick off of all the sugar.

After eating, Leah and I took a trip to the tenement toilet, bringing Maggie, Conner, Patrick, and little Alan. I won't go into details, but it was gross. The smell was awful and it was even filthier than any I've seen. No one was crazy enough to complain. Some tenements didn't even have bathrooms.

We put the kids to bed and Shaun, Levi, Leah, and me stayed up for about an hour after, just talking. We made fun of everything and nothing. For the first time, I really felt like I belonged in a family. Sure, the Jacobs were great, but it wasn't the same.

When everyone else was asleep, Leah and I giggled about Levi's soft snoring. As I dosed off, I really felt happy. It was as if I was one of the little birds, a starling, and I had found my nest.

**I know it's kind of hard to keep the family straight, so here they are.**

Levi 14 black hair, green eyes, known as Mutty to the newsiesLeah 12 black hair, brown eyes, pretty, quiet  
Shaun 11 red hair, green eyes, sense of humor  
Maggie 8 blond hair, hazel eyes  
Patrick 5 black hair, blue eyes, doesn't talk  
Conner 5 red hair, blue eyes,  
Alan 2 black hair, brown eyes

**Review and tell me how you liked it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hope you like it.**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

I woke up the next day, curled up against Leah. It was an accident, okay? I had started out next to Levi and Shaun. Besides, I did have a record of moving around a lot in my sleep. The worst part was, Levi was standing over us yelling his heart out.

"What do you think you're doing? This is my sister!" He grabbed my arm and nearly yanked it out of its socket as he pulled me up. I yelped.

"I wasn't doing anything! I'm sorry!" I tried to jerk away from his grip but he was holding on too tight. By now the whole family was awake. I'm just glad their Dad had already left for the factory or I'd be whipped by now. Talk about overprotective men. I felt bad for Leah and Maggie.

"You were sleeping next to my sister!" Levi took a swing for my head and I ducked, but the next one hit home. I howled, clutching my nose with my other hand.

"I didn't mean to!" I blocked his next punch. "Levi, have you gone mad?"

"Stop it!" Leah yelled, trying to get between us.

Levi landed the next hit at my eye and I almost cried with the pain of it. "Let me go! I didn't do anything!"

Levi shoved me towards the door. "Right! Leave!"

This seemed like a good time to reveal that I was a girl. I turned back to him. "Levi, listen to me…"

The punch almost hit my last good eye. "I don't want your excuses!"

I was fed up. I kicked out hard and good with my left foot and landed him a nice kick in the family jewels. That shut him up.

"Levi, I'm a girl." That really shut him up. "I'm not kidding around. I'm sorry for scaring you, but that's the truth of it. If you don't like it, I'll leave."

I turned to go. "Wait, Max, how do I know you're not lying?"

"Do you want me to show you?" I reached for the tie of my pants. He flamed red.

"No. I think I believe you. I'm sorry. I just thought…"

"It's okay." I clamped him on the shoulder. "Forget it."

"You're such an idiot." Maggie told her brother. Shaun was grinning as if it was Christmas. Little bugger, he probably thought a good fight was exciting. To think of it, so did I.

"So that's why you were so good at cleaning! And cooking!" Leah exclaimed.

"Why did you pretend you weren't a girl?" Levi asked.

"It's complicated." I bit my lip, wondering if I could trust them with my other secret. Then, I thought of Leah's trusting eyes and Levi's honesty. "I got into a bit of trouble. That's all."

"What kind of trouble? Did you steal anything?" Shaun's eyes were wide and mouth open.

"Yah, that's it." I was glad that he had given me a story. I hated to lie to them, but I had to do what I had to do. I changed the subject. "Levi, you gonna to come sell papes with me today?"

He frowned. "I don't know if I can."

Leah spoke up. "I can take care of the kids."

"I can take care of myself." Maggie stood tall. I almost laughed. Her pa was going to have some trouble with her. She sure was stubborn.

"I want to sell papes too!" Shaun begged. "I'll sell more than you do, Levi."

"No!" Levi protested. "You have to help Leah and hold down the fort."

"Nothing is going to happen." Leah agreed with Shaun. "Let him go."

"I can help with the twins and Alan." Maggie picked up Alan to show that she could help.

"Da wouldn't like it." Levi threw out the last lifeline he had.

"You don't know that. Besides, he doesn't have to know." Shaun insisted.

"We do need the money." Leah said practically.

Levi groaned. "Is everyone against me?"

Leah, Shaun and Maggie nodded in unison. I stayed out of it. This was a family thing.

"Alright, he can come." Levi gave in and Shaun yelled with joy.

"What about me?" Maggie wheedled.

"NO!" Levi shouted and the eight year old grinned sheepishly.

"We should probably move out then." I suggested.

"Bye, Leah. If you need help…" Levi was interrupted.

"Levi Bryson, I've been holding the kids together ever since Ma got sick and I've been tending to her also! I think I can handle it well enough!" Leah put her hands on her hips and looked as fierce as any tiger.

It was his turn to look sheepish. "I guess. C'mon, Shaun."

The three of us, thundered down the tenement stairs, jumping over rickety steps. We raced to the Manhattan World Distribution Center, Shaun fairly bouncing with excitement.

"Hey, Mutty, who's this? Your brother?" Racetrack asked.

"Yep, this is Shaun." Levi replied.

"Aw, he looks just like you." Mush teased. Except for the hair, the two boys were pretty similar. They had the same eyes, freckles, and facial features.

Levi just grinned and moved in line.

That's the way thing were for a couple months. Levi, Shaun, and I sold papes together and pooled our money at the end. I moved out of the Newsies Lodging House and into Levi's house. I hardly ever saw his dad, but what I did see of him made me like him.

My dad drank and he hit me, but he used to be okay. I remember. I guess what matters isn't what used to be, but what is. David's father was okay, too. He was friendly and nice. Levi's dad was the best I'd met, though.

He was good-natured, hard-working, and loved his children. More than that, he liked me. I had told him that I was a girl and he had laughed uproariously. He had thought that me fooling all those boys was the funniest thing that had ever happened. He told me to call him Dad. I did.

Leah and I got to be really good friends. We talked about everything, especially the cute boy in the tenement two doors down from ours. We were only one year apart and we were like sisters. We cooked, shopped in the market, cleaned, and laughed together. She also got me through the shock of finding blood in my pants and explained the whole thing to me. I still wasn't used to the whole idea.

Shaun and I had some good times together, causing mischief and annoying Levi to no end. Once, we stayed outside so long that we had had to find an alleyway with other kids in it. We had to sleep there because Brooklyn can get dangerous at nights. Levi got so mad when we came home. I guess it was just because he was scared for us.

I liked Maggie, too, but she was more than a couple years younger than me. We sewed together and she helped me remember what I had forgotten since my time with my father. I also helped her learn to cook and she helped me with stuff I didn't know.

Patrick and Conner grew more comfortable with me and begged me to play. Patrick still stayed quiet though, and talked with his actions and expressions. They treated me like I was their sister, which made me happy. Cute little Alan liked me almost instantly and loved when I played with him.

I still went to the Jacobs once in a while, and we had gotten over the whole heat wave/religion episode. I didn't go much at all anymore. Sarah was busy with Jack, who she was going to marry, and David was going to college now. Besides, I'd got a real family now.

It was November, November 6th to be exact. I was done selling papes and Shaun, Levi, and I were walking briskly home. It was kind of cold and we had coats on. We weren't talking, just hurrying. Then, I saw something that made my blood run clean cold.

It was my mother, or what I thought was her. It had been almost six years and I only had faint pictures of her in my memory. She was standing outside our old tenement and looking around. I dashed behind Levi and ducked. He was still taller than me, even though I had gone through a growth spurt and now looked my proper age; thirteen.

When my mother looked away, I darted into the nearest alley. Shaun and Levi followed, rolling their eyes.

"What was that all about?" Shaun raised one eyebrow and peered at me.

"I'm thinking that I just saw my ma." I let out the breath that I'd been holding.

"I thought you had no parents." Levi said confused.

"I still have a ma." I explained. "My father is dead."

"You told me that you had no parents." Levi's stare was accusatory.

I reached into my pocket. This was a story that needed to be told and I knew where I had to start.

I had saved the newspaper article from January, the one about the murdered man; my father. I don't know why I had kept it, but I had. I had carried it with me since I had left the boarding house, because I didn't want the Brysons to find it.

"This article came out in January, after the night of the worst cold ever in New York City. That was the day I joined the newsies."

"So you're saying…" Levi's voice trailed off as he figured out what I was trying to tell them.

"You killed your father!" Shaun's mouth dropped and he stared at me. I avoided his eyes.

"Why?" The older of the two brothers asked.

"Everything was fine until I was seven. Then my dad lost his job as the foreman in a factory. My dad beat my mum and my brother and sister, too. He left off me, because I was so young, I think. I think he loved me most, too. He brought me candy and treats sometimes. When I was eight, my brother told me that they were leaving. He told me to be ready at the lunch hour, when my dad was at his new job in the factory. I didn't listen. I was playing in the park. I was so stupid." I paused, remembering how I had felt coming home to an empty house.

"What happened next?" Shaun prompted.

"I like to think that they looked for me before they left. I don't know, because they didn't find me."

"They shouldn't have left you!" Levi said hotly.

"I don't blame them." I was surprised at his anger. "They probably thought that dad would never hit me. He started almost two years ago and started drinking too. One night, the night of the cold, it got real bad. I got scared. I think that he was going to hurt me bad, even kill me. I didn't mean to kill him, it just happened."

Remembering hurt and I started to shake. I tried to hold the tears in, but they slid out anyway. Levi and Shaun looked uncertain, but Shaun gave me a sort of hug. I breathed in the rest of my tears and continued. The last thing they needed was an emotional female.

"Why don't you want to see your mother?" Levi asked.

"I don't know. It's been a long time! Sure, I don't blame her for leaving, but she should have come back! I don't remember much about her anyway. I knew I loved her, but I'm happy now. I don't care anymore. I don't care!" I shouted the last sentence and jerked out of Shaun's hold.

"I don't need a mother! I have everything I need right here! I got all of you and my papes and New York City and the newsies! I got money and friends and family! I don't need them!" I had started to pace in the tight space. I was still shouting.

"No one's going to make you go back." Levi cautiously walked towards me. He put his hand on my shoulder, mostly to calm me down. I started to cry again.

I know, it sounds like I'm really emotional, but I'm not. I cry once in a while, but after five minutes or so, I'm fine. Really.

And in five minutes, I _was _fine. I wiped my face on my sleeve and stood up. "I'm done." I announced.

And we walked out of the alleyway. As we turned the corner, headed to Levi's home, I saw my mother. She saw me.

She turned away and I was relieved.

My mother didn't recognize me. The last time she had seen me, I had been a runty eight-year old. I had had brown hair with a kind of red tint to it. Now, I was wiry, normal-sized, thirteen years old AND disguised as a boy. The red was gone from my hair, which had been bleached from being in the sun so much. It was now a cross between blond and brown. I was tanner too, instead of being pale. And I had changed so much that she didn't recognize me. And I was happy.

"C'mon." I said to Levi and Shaun. "Let's go home."

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	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer - Some of the Newsies belongs to Disney, but most of the stuff belongs to me. **

**CHAPTER 6**

Nothing more happened until December of that year. It was the first Christmas that I'd be having with my new family and all of us were excited with making gifts and keeping secrets. With the new snow, even selling papes had become more fun than usual. Snowball fights became a big part of the day. Shaun and me got into a fight where some innocent bystanders got hit and we had to run away with our lives. We were still poor, but that didn't matter so much when giving was most of the fun.

Then, there was the problem with the Christmas tree. You see, all the rich folks were having them brought in from the countryside. Maggie, Patrick, Conner, and little Alan had gotten their hearts set on getting one of our own. They were too expensive though, and the family would much rather have food and warm clothes in the long run.

Levi thought of a plan, though, a plan that might actually work. When the trees are carried by the wagons through the town, some of the branches fall onto the ground. If we were to collect all the branches that we saw, we could build a wooden frame and nail the branches to it. It would be our Christmas tree.

It took us four whole days of branch-collecting while we were selling papes to get what we needed. Levi built the frame out of scrap wood while we slept. Leah busied the younger children with making ornaments out of dried cranberries and paper chains out of the papes that we couldn't sell. Three days before Christmas Eve, we fitted together our tree in the kitchen, by the table. The kids loved it.

All of us there, even Levi's Dad, it was our first Christmas tree. We hung the cranberry strands and the newspaper chains on the tree on Christmas Eve. Dad (Levi's dad) told a story about Santa Claus and how he delivered presents. I listened hard. It was a good story.

After that, Dad told us to hang up a stocking on the dish cabinet. I took off one of my only socks and wondered how Leah and Maggie would like cold feet in the bed.

Us children chattered like birds for about an hour before we fell asleep. We were all excited about Christmas Day, although we knew we wouldn't get much.

I was woken up by Conner, who was jumping on me. I groaned until I remember what day it was. I caught Conner and set him on the floor.

"Leah," I shook her. "Leah, it's Christmas!"

Leah stirred and I pulled her up into a sitting position.

I thought of jumping on Levi and the thought made me giggle. Instead, I asked Conner and Patrick, who was also awake, to jump on him for me. They happily agreed.

Levi yelped and sprung up. Leah and I collapsed in laughter. Shaun and Maggie sat up and guessed what had happened. Slowly, Levi grinned and grabbed the twins and Alan.

All of us ran into the kitchen, where we gasped. Spread on the table was cinnamon buns and oranges. We stared in awe. Maggie was first to notice the stockings. They were bulging.

We all grabbed ours and found a spot to sit down. I was under the kitchen table with Patrick. I dumped out my sock carefully.

There were five peppermint sticks and at least ten toffees in it. Stuffed into the toe of the sock was a cap.

I had lost my old hat almost six months ago. This was a cap like some of the newsies wore. It was gray and had a stiff brim. I could tell it was used, but it was in good shape. I immediately set my cap on my head.

Aside from the candy, Patrick and Conner had both gotten new rubber balls in their stockings. Leah had gotten a pair of thick, warm mittens that were made out of blue wool. Levi had inherited a pocketknife from his Dad that was old, but well taken care of. Maggie found three ribbons, each a different color. Shaun was delighted with his small bag of marbles. Alan had gotten a small, wooden dog that Dad had carved.

I was sad that Dad had to work at the factory and wouldn't even know how happy everyone was with his surprise until tonight. Like any child though, I was soon sidetracked by the breakfast.

After all of our hands were sticky with the juice from the oranges and the frosting from the buns, we moved on to the tree. Levi, Shaun, Leah, and me had taken care of the presents. There was one for each person and no one knew what it would be. Each present was wrapped in newspaper, but one had a box shape and was stiff.

We started with the youngest, Alan. Maggie handed him his present, bouncing with excitement for her turn. Alan wasn't sure at first what to do with it, but Conner helped him rip the paper off. Inside were clothes. Leah and I had chanced upon some nuns giving out clothes to the poor children of Brooklyn. I had already made a personal pact to never pass up free stuff. We found something that looked a little big for Alan, but he'd grow into it. They were woolen trousers, a cotton shirt, and a woolen coat that went over it.

Patrick went next, because he was a couple minutes younger than Conner. He had been hard for us to pick out a present for us, because he never talked to us and seldom even bothered to communicate. I had remembered that Patrick talked to the stray cat and I had walked the streets looking for a kitten. It wasn't hard to find one, but the catching of the scrawny beastie was pretty hard. I did it though and had Leah hide it from the children.

When Patrick tore off the paper from the cardboard box, he looked slightly confused. He carefully pried the cover off and gasped in surprise when he saw the small face and little paws. He gently pulled it out of the box, giving support to both ends of the body. He held it to himself and cuddled it. The kitten was a calm female, and she liked it. She purred and kept still. Patrick smiled so wide I thought his face would break into pieces.

Conner was tired of watching Patrick and grabbed his present. He ripped off the paper and beamed with happiness when he saw the Indian headdress that Levi and Shaun had made for him. It was made of seagull feathers, scrap cloth, and glue.

Maggie's present had been an old doll that Leah and I had found in some trash. We had cleaned her and made her a new dress. The cloth doll was as good as new. Maggie hugged her to her when she saw it, so we knew that she liked it.

Shaun was also excited to find out what his present would be, but he kept it inside and slowly took off the paper with shaking hands. Inside was a real baseball so that Shaun could play stickball with his friends whenever he wanted. He bounced it on the floor until the old woman under us started hitting her ceiling with something hard.

Leah had told us that she wanted something practical. Leah and I had been window shopping outside of the shops and I caught her staring at a shawl. It was lacy and beautiful. I came back the next day with all of Shaun's money and mine and bought it. When Leah opened her present and seen what it was, her eyes filled with tears and she stroked the soft fabric of the shawl. Then, her voice husky, she told us that this wasn't exactly practical. I hugged her.

My turn was next. I made no motion to hide my excitement and even though I was fourteen now, I was bouncing up and down like Conner. I ripped off the paper as fast as I could and I pulled out what I saw. I shook out the fabric and watched in amazement as the folds fell out and revealed a skirt.

I hadn't worn one since the day that I left home. I hadn't wanted to, but during the last month or two, I'd been wondering how it would be. I had filled out a little, in my chest and my hips. The newsies hadn't noticed, but I had. I guess someone had noticed that I wanted to wear skirts again or something.

The skirt was a dark navy blue and would reach to my boot tops. I stood and held it up to myself. It was a perfect fit. I looked at Leah, who smiled.

"You are a heavy sleeper." She told me, with a what-am-I-to-do look on her face. "There's more."

I reached again inside the newspaper and pulled out a white long, sleeve shirt with a collar. It was the kind that most of the women and Leah wore.

I jumped up and hugged Leah tightly.

Levi was reaching for his package and opened it quickly and quietly. There were many layers of newspaper. He raised one eyebrow and looked at me. I giggled, because I had purposely wrapped it in as many layers as I could. Levi finally got down to the present and pulled out a handsome fountain pen and a bottle of ink. He looked happy with what he got.

For the rest of the day, we spent time together and enjoyed our presents. I changed into my dress and learned that sitting like a boy let the whole family see my underwear. They teased my mercilessly about it, but It was one of the best days of my life.

* * *

One week later, Levi, me, and Shaun were leaving to the Manhattan Distribution office. I was back into my pants and shirt, with my new cap on my head. We were running, as usual, and then I bumped into her. 

Her was my older sister. I don't know how I recognized her, but I think she looked like me. I looked like her, obviously, because she recognized me. I took off running again, but faster this time. She started shouting and sooner than I thought it could happen, a policeman lifted me off my feet and shook me like a rat. He dragged me back to her and set me on my feet.

"What this kid steal from you?" The policeman asked as if there was no question that I had stolen something.

"He didn't steal anything." My sister said. "I know him. You can leave him here if he promises to stay."

I promised as quick as I could, but I wasn't planning on keeping it. I was grateful that she didn't let out that I was really a girl. The policeman left, which helped me to breathe a lot easier.

"Katie, what are you doing?" She asked. It felt weird to hear my birth name again. I guessed that she was about nineteen years old, if I remembered and added right.

"I don't know who Katie is. Are you one of those mad women?" I darted her question, hoping that she'd think that I wasn't her sister. It didn't work.

"Stop dancing around my question! Answer it!" This was the Emmy I remembered.

"I'm not doin' nothing!" I answered, looking around for Levi and Shaun. I spotted them leaning against a wall, watching the encounter. I cursed out loud, shocking Emmy.

"Who were those two boys you were with?"

"My brothers." I spoke without hesitation. "They're my brothers."

She sighed deeply. "How about I treat you for breakfast? We can talk there."

"I already ate."

"If you're living in the tenements, it couldn't have been much."

I didn't answer that.

"Please?" She begged. For a minute, I felt a pang of sorrow, knowing that I had missed out on six years of our relationship. I ignored it. I had Leah and Maggie now.

"Sure." I said hesitantly, waving over the two sucker boys, who were still watching.

"I'm gonna go to breakfast with her. I'll see you guys at dinner, okay? If I'm not back by then, tell the police she kidnapped me." I instructed Levi and Shaun.

Levi stepped up to me. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Right as fish in a barrel." Shaun laughed, which I shoved him for.

"I always turn up on my feet." I reassured Levi. "I'll be fine."

I followed Emmy through the streets. We didn't talk at all, I guess because I was kind of sulking.

I was surprised when I saw the place that Emmy was bringing me to. It was definitely one of the nicer restaurants in Brooklyn. For the first time, I really looked at her. She was wearing a fine factory made dress. She had a fancy hat on, with flowers sewn to the brim. She also had a purse over her shoulder. It looked like my family had done well enough in the money department since they left.

When we entered the shop, I felt out of place in my dirty pants that were still too long for me and had a huge hole in the knee. My shirt was the right size in the arms, but I didn't tuck it in and it looked funny with the shirttails hanging out. My face was smudged and dirty, and my hands were almost black. I couldn't smell it, but I probably stunk to high heaven. I still smelled better than Shaun. My new cap was the only thing clean about me.

We sat down at the table and my sister passed me a menu. David, or the Mouth, had taught me, but I still had to work to read. Emmy noticed.

"Can't you read?" She asked.

"I ain't never been to school." I shrugged. I wasn't even trying to correct my grammar, which usually I did.

"Just tell me what you want and I'll find something for you."

"I want orange juice and milk and eggs and bacon and ham and potatoes." I said in a big list, naming the things I didn't usually get.

Emmy looked surprised but called over a waiter and ordered what I had told her and what she wanted.

"So did you really kill Father?" She cut right to the quick, but at least she whispered it.

"No. I wouldn't kill anybody." I lied. What if she took me to the authorities and had me pay in jail time for the crime?

"Katie, I'm not going to tell..."

"My name is Max." I interrupted. Now she really looked confused.

"Why Max?"

"It's who I am." I answered. "I've made it something different." Something different than what our dad had been.

"Katie is who you are." She argued. "That's your name."

Our food came then, so I didn't answer back. I polished off the huge plate of food in record time. I guess I didn't mind my manners well at all, but I was hungry. I'd only had a roll and an apple this morning. I shared the apple with Shaun, too.

She had only ordered something small, so we both finished at the same time.

"Where have you been?" Emmy asked. I laughed at her question.

"Shouldn't I be asking where you've been?" I guess some of my old bitterness came out cause I laughed shortly after I said it.

Emmy sensed my hurt and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Katie. I really am."

I looked away pointedly. I wasn't ready for a tearful sisterly reunion.

"Was it you that Mama saw in the street a couple months ago?"

"She didn't recognize me." I shrugged.

"That doesn't bother you?" Emmy sounded shocked.

"Nope." I answered. "I was happy. Still am. I don't blame her, but she hasn't exactly been there. It's not like she's still my mother."

She shook her head. "But I meant it when I asked. Where have you been doing? If you left home in February, you've had ten months. What did you do with them?"

I laughed. Here was my leverage. I knew Emmy. If she hadn't changed, she was as curious as a dog. She wouldn't give up until I told her and I wouldn't give in. It was a nice fix.

"Well," I got up from my seat. "I better be getting to work." I said that purposely so that she'd notice that there was another thing that she didn't know.

"Katie Costa, you sit down this instant!"

I obeyed, knowing that she could tell someone I stole something and I'd be in jail. Or maybe I just didn't want to leave.

"Emily Costa, you stop ordering me around!" I said, mimicking her voice.

She somewhat brightened at my use of her name, but it died away. "It's not Costa anymore. Mama remarried about four years ago. She got a legal form and divorced Father. It's Emily Felton now."

It was my turn to be surprised. "So I don't relate to you anymore?"

"I'm still your sister, just not by name."

I was disappointed, but I didn't show it. I'm sure it would have hurt her.

"Are you going to come live with us again?" Emmy asked hopefully.

"I told you, I got a family now! A real one, with a dad, and younger brothers and sisters. Besides, I got friends and a job and a life! I'm not just going to leave it."

"We live in the country and have a horse farm." Emmy pleaded. "I'm sure you'd have fun."

I wasn't even tempted. "I have fun here. I can't even think of not living in the city."

"Will you at least visit?"

"I'm busy. I have to watch kids and work. I don't have time."

"Bring the children." Emmy was really begging now.

"Alright. I don't have any money though."

"Money's not an issue. When can you come?"

"Um, in a month?" I guessed.

"Alright. I'll send Frank on the train to get you."

"Emmy, I'm fourteen and I've been on my own for the longest time. I can ride a train by myself." I insisted.

She gave a little laugh. "I suppose you're right. How many children are there?"

"There's eight of us total."

Emmy took out a small pencil and scribbled some figures onto a napkin. Then she handed me the largest amount of money that I'd even held in my life.

It was a twenty dollar gold piece. I stuck it into my shoe, where I was sure not to lose it.

"Come as soon as you can." Emmy told me.

"As long as you get Mother and yourself out of the city and stop scaring me by turning up at every moment."

Emmy agreed and we parted our separate ways.

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	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

The next months came and went. I had really meant to visit, but Alan, Conner, and Shaun got real sick. I stayed and helped Leah with them and the other children, while Levi sold papes. They were sick for a couple weeks, and I meant to come then, but Patrick started having bad bloody noses. We got worried about him and didn't want to take him anywhere. He healed in time, but then Conner fell off the docks and a Brooklyn newsie had to dive in for him. We sure got a start when the newsie brought a half-drowned rat to our door, a rat that resembled Conner.

Time passed and I sort of forgot about my promise to visit my family. I didn't spend the gold piece. It was hid in the house, since I was so afraid of losing it.

It must have been May by the time I remembered. I didn't want to visit my family with the kids looking so raggedy. Their shoes had worn to pieces and their clothes weren't much better. Me, Levi, and Shaun were working extra hard so that we would save enough for new shoes, and maybe clothes. Pay at Dad's factory had been docked again, and he could barely earn enough for his own keep, though he worked like a mule and didn't drink away a drop of his money.

I didn't want to leave Dad alone, where no one could take care of him if anything happened. He insisted that we go though, and stay for a while. The truth was, we were kind of excited about going that we didn't say more about the issue. I wish we had. Anyway, by June, we had earned enough for new shoes. We washed our clothes and mended them as best we could. We washed ourselves too, something that needed to be done badly. Patrick silently insisted on bringing his kitten. We told him that there would probably be kittens there, but he sat down and wouldn't move. Levi looked to me for help, but I just shrugged. Of course, he let Patrick bring the kitten, as long as it rode in a basket the whole train ride.

We walked to the train station, feeling just like a normal family going out for a holiday. Even Levi's step was a little lighter. Me, well, I was fairly gloomy. See, it was all good for them, but I had to see my mother and I wasn't happy about it. I tried to look happy, but Levi saw through my act.

"Cheer up. You liked seeing your sister."

"I didn't like it." I grumbled. "Besides, my mother's different. I promise you, if she starts to tell me what to do, I'm leaving."

"Dad tells us what to do."

"That's different, too. Dad's been there for us. My mother hasn't."  
"Give her a chance." Levi suggested.

"Fine." I left Levi and ran to catch up with the others. I couldn't see, but if I knew Levi, he was shaking his head.

Levi gave the money to the train ticket man and we boarded the train. Levi and Leah had ridden the train before, with their father, but this was the first time for the rest of us.

I watched the city flash away and then turn to country. This was the first time I'd been out of New York, too. I was amazed to see the trees and fields. They were so big. I repeated the name of my family's town that my sister had told me, just in case I forgot it.

Levi woke me up by shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes, confused for a minute about where I was. When I remembered, I sat up.

"Are we there?" I looked around. It was dark outside.

"Almost. We have about five minutes." Levi answered.

I shook Leah. "Wake up. We're there." Leah sat up immediately and I woke up Shaun, who complained as boys will do.

Leah gently woke up Maggie and handed her the doll, which had fallen to the floor.

The train screeched to a stop and Levi shook the twins awake. Patrick grabbed his kitten, which to my surprise had remained in the basket. I picked up Alan and rocked him back asleep. Levi grabbed the bags and Leah helped to herd the children off the train.

The train left us behind at the boarding deck. We stood there for a minute, not knowing what to do.

"You did remember the right name of the town?" Shaun tried to reassure himself.

"Of course." I scoffed, starting to doubt myself. "They wouldn't be waiting for us. It's months after I said we would come."

"It's too late to ask anyone where your place is." Levi reasoned. "We'll sleep here tonight."

I know that if I had been brought up proper, I would have complained, but since I hadn't been, I didn't. Instead, we used our bags as pillows and slept right under the deck. It didn't bother us any. It was probably cooler there than in the houses.

I was woken up in the morning by Alan, who was fussing in my arms. Levi and Shaun had already woken and were talking quietly. I sat up and stretched lazily. I crawled over to where the boys were, holding Alan with one arm.

"I found out where your mother lives. Apparently your stepdad is quite rich." Levi sounded impressed.

"Could we leave now?" Shaun asked Levi.

"Why don't we wait until the children wake up?" I argued.

"That'll take forever." Shaun complained, turning those dark green eyes on me. "Please?"

"Ask your brother." I happily shoved the decision over to Levi, who rolled his eyes.

"If you wake them up."

Leah woke up without any issues, but Maggie socked Shaun in the gut. Levi and I crunched over laughing.

We started down the road. I was carrying Conner piggyback and Levi was carrying Patrick and the kitten. Shaun carried the bags and Leah was holding little Alan. Maggie skipped along in front of us, her sour morning mood gone.

It seemed like we were walking forever on that drab dirt road, but it was probably only an hour or two. When the twins woke up fully, they wanted to run. We put them down and Levi took Alan.

As we turned beyond a row of trees, we all stopped in surprise.

"That has to be it." Shaun said, voice quiet with awe.

It was huge. There was a large, three story house with two barns about three hundred feet from the house. There were large pastures with horses grazing in them. There was a large river running through the land, with a clear pond on the opposite end.

"Horsies!" Alan pointed to grazing horses.

"Yah." I said. "Wow. They're scabs."

"You don't know that." Leah said. "Just cause they're rich…"

"Filthy, stinking rich." Shaun nodded.

"Well, let's get it over with." I took off, walking to my death. I mean, this was going to be awkward.

I paused at the door, not sure if I should knock or just walk in. I decided on the knocking.

A girl about my age opened the door. She was dressed in a long black skirt and a white shirt, with an apron covering it and a white cap covering her blond hair. I guess she was a maid and that I was staring cause Shaun nudged me. Well, I didn't know that my family would have maids.

"Oh yah. I guess I'm here to see Mrs. Felton."

"Is she expecting you?" The girl asked disbelievingly.

"Well, she was. Don't think she is now." I wasn't sure of how to answer the question.

"Can I give her a name?" The girl prompted.

Levi rolled his eyes at my answers and took over. "We're the Brysons. This is Ma…Katie."

Light dawned in the girl's eyes. "Oh, Katie! Why didn't you say so before? Come on in, all of you!"

We herded the kids into the entryway. The girl kept talking.

"We thought you weren't coming, January having come and gone with no word at all. Of course, the Mistress and Miss Emily kept faith in you. They trusted you even though everyone was saying that you took off with the money and wouldn't be back. I didn't think you'd be coming either. If it had been me, I don't know what I would…"

"Annie, I thought I told you not to chatter off to guests!" A short, plump woman scolded the girl, who winced. Shaun hid his grin.

"Yes, Ma, but this is different. This is Katie!"

Annie's ma gasped. "Katie? Welcome home!"

I shifted. "Thanks, ma'am."

"I'm the housekeeper, Mrs. Drucet if it pleases you." She said kindly.

"Why wouldn't it?" I asked, confused. She laughed as if I had made a joke, which I hadn't. She still didn't answer my question.

"The family is having breakfast right now. I'm sure you want to see them immediately."

My mouth twitched at that, but Levi warned me not to laugh with his eyes. I held it back. Instead, I stalled.

"Um, would there be a lavatory around here?" I asked for Conner, who was beginning to look a bit nervous.

"Yes, it's up the hall." The housekeeper pointed.

I wrinkled up my nose. "Inside?" I pointedly sniffed in that direction.

Annie, the housekeeper, and Levi burst out laughing. "Haven't you ever heard of a water closet, child?" Annie's ma asked.

I flushed at being laughed at. "No, but I guess I'll find out."

I stalked off towards the 'water closet', followed by all the younger children, toting Alan on my hip.

"It's okay, Maxie." Maggie said. "Don't tell, but I don't know what a water closet was either."

I opened the door to the water closet, holding my breath to hold off the stink. I didn't know what the people who built this house were thinking. Everyone knows not to put something real stinky inside a perfectly good house.

But when I opened the door, nothing bad hit me. Actually there wasn't even a toilet in it. Well, there was something shaped like a toilet, but there was nothing inside of it.

I think that all five of us just plain stared at it. "I guess this is it. Turn around." I said, shutting the door and dropping my pants. I hurried through my business, and yanked my drawers up. Each of the other children except Alan went, thankfully making it short. There was even soft toilet paper to wipe with, not old papes that left print on your bum. I changed Alan's diaper, wrapping the messed one in the rags and putting it back in the bag. I'd have to clean that later.

I looked at the mess that was now in the toilet. It wasn't going anywhere, but I figured maybe the maid would be coming in to empty it. Wasn't any sense in that, I thought. I had done worse things and might as well do it myself. I reached down to maybe see if I could pull the pot out, like a chamber pot in a chair. I know, it sounds stupid now, but I was confused, alright?

Meanwhile, Conner was exploring as little boys are sure to do and he found a chain that was attached to a tank above the toilet. Of course, he pulled it just as I touched the seat.

I jumped back as a horrible hissing noise filled the small room. Water poured into the bowl. I turned on Conner for the scare he gave me and for whatever he broke.

"Connor Bryson, can't you keep your hands off anything for more than a minute?" I scolded him, hands on my hips.

"But look," Maggie interceded. "It's gone!" She pointed to the toilet and I looked.

Lo and behold, the waste was gone.

I smiled sheepishly at Conner, who looked hurt and frightened. "Sorry, Conner, thought you broke something."

"Should we wash our hands?" Maggie asked. There was a wash basin and a bar of soap.

I thought about. Sure, doing your business probably wasn't the cleanest thing, but who washes their hands after doing it?

I voiced my opinion to Maggie, who shrugged. "I'll bet the scabs do."

So we all washed our hands, even Alan, who didn't want to feel left out. He was almost three and beginning to have a stubborn streak.

We left the water closet about ten minutes after we entered it. Leah, Shaun, Levi, Annie, and Mrs. Drucet were still waiting.

"Sorry," I apologized. "There's a bunch of them."

"It's alright. Now, your mother will have wanted to see you immediately, had she known you were here. Let's get you in there."

Annie had been quiet ever since she had been chastened by her mother, but now she burst. "The Mistress told us back in January that as soon as you came, you were to be brought straight to her, no matter what. She stayed by the window the whole month almost, and the next month, she looked out every window she passed by. When you didn't come, she didn't lose hope, but didn't watch the windows either. I'd have stopped long before that, but she didn't. She kept hoping…"

Mrs. Drucet figured that Annie had gone on long enough. "That's enough. Let's not waste anymore time. Come along, Katie."

I didn't recognize my name being called at first. Levi nudged me. "That's you."

"Oh." I followed the housekeeper, stopping when I realized that the Brysons weren't following me. "Levi, Leah? Aren't you coming?"

"We decided that it should be private." Leah said.

"Aw, but…"

Levi cut me off. "We all decided. We aren't coming."

I grumbled but followed Mrs. Drucet again. Truth was, I wasn't much looking forward to meeting my family alone. I'd feel much better with Levi, or maybe even Shaun or Leah, beside me.

I walked as slowly as I could, trying to buy me more time. Before long, we were outside the room where my family must be in. The door was shut and Mrs. Drucet held a finger to her lips and walked in, closing the door behind her.

I have to admit, I almost ran for it. The open window at the end of the hall was looking oh so tempting. I took a step closer to it, but the door opened again and I tried to look innocent.

It was Mrs. Drucet. "They don't know it's you yet. I told them it was someone from the church, coming to ask for a donation. Go on in, now."

I took a deep breath, but caught the reflection of me from a hall mirror. I didn't look like a scab, oh no, not even close. I looked like the newsie I was.

I didn't look like a boy, at least I looked kind of like a girl. Anyway, I think some of the newsies had started to suspect that I was a female. My face had softened and wasn't as thin as it had been a year ago. My dishwater blond hair had grown a bit and was loose around my neck. I was tanner than I'd been when my ma saw me last, which was November. My grey eyes were the same, but I don't think eyes change.

I opened the door slowly. I looked back at Mrs. Drucet to see if maybe there was a way out, but she held firm. Man, this was going to be fun.

I looked at the ground as I entered. Maybe they wouldn't recognize me. Maybe Emmy had forgotten how I looked. It was worth a try.

"I'm here to ask a donation for the missionaries off in Africa trying to convert the…"

"Katie!" That must have been Emmy. I wouldn't have known, seeing as my eyes were glued to the wooden floor. It was though, seeing as she had both arms around me quicker than anything. That girl moved _fast_.

I raised my head a bit, thinking I was safe behind the shield of my sister's body. No such luck. My mother raised a hand to her trembling lips and I could see her eyes filling up with tears. Well then.

I also saw a boy. I didn't really recognize him, but I knew he had to be my brother, Frank. He kind of looked like Mother, I guess. He was probably about three years older than me, making him seventeen.

Then there was a man. I guessed that he was probably Ma's new husband. If this was some other story and I was some other kid, I probably would have hated him and gotten off on the wrong foot, but not this one. I kind of liked what I saw. His hands were rough, like mine and the newsies, showing he got in some hard work. His eyes had laughing in them, too, not that he was laughing at me or Emmy.

Emmy let go of me and held me away from her so she could look me up and down. I knew the scolding was coming. "Katie, where on Earth have you been?"

"Africa." I answered back seriously. "With the missionaries."

Emmy rolled her eyes, as I knew she would. "What took you so long to come? You promised you'd be here months ago."

It was time for me to stick up for myself. "The boys got sick, then Patrick got them bloody noses of his, and Conner fell off the docks and almost drowned. Then we had to earn money for new shoes and patch up our togs."

"Togs?" Emmy asked.

"Clothes." I answered. Let them disapprove of my speech and slang. Cluck away.

My mother stood up, having gotten over the shock. She walked towards me with open arms. I honestly didn't mean to, but I took a step back. The hug I avoided wasn't worth the look of hurt in her eyes.

So, maybe I couldn't care beans about my mother, but I don't like going around hurting people. Besides, Emmy was glaring at me. I took a step forward, my shoes clacking real loud in the silence.

My mother looked like she was going to leave me alone, but then she hugs me anyway. I just stand there. First of all, I don't like people I don't know hugging me. Sure, maybe she thinks she knows me, but she's wrong. Second of all, I'm all stiff because I'm not ready to hug her back yet. Maybe I'll never be ready.

It seems like forever until she pulls away. Then, I wished she hadn't.

"Oh, Katie, I love you so much! I missed you!" She sobbed out. "Katie, I love you. I'll never let you go again, I swear it!"

"Oh." Was the first thing that popped out of my mouth. I stood there like a dummy. Well, getting home was going to be fun. I mean, she can't honestly believe that I was going to leave my home in New York to live with her? This was a visit, nothing more.

There was another awkward silence and my mother kept staring at me. I shifted, trying to see if she'd break her gaze, but it didn't work. Worth a try, anyway.

Frank and Mr. Felton stood up together. They walked towards me, but I knew they wouldn't hug me. Thank heavens. I'd had enough of uncomfortable situations. I wanted to go swimming by the docks or chase Shaun through the streets. Heck, I'd even settle for selling papes. Anything better than this.

Frank stood before me, probably as awkward as I felt. He stuck out his hand for me to shake and I took it. I think he was surprised at the firmness and roughness of his baby sister's hands. Yes, Frankie-boy, that would be one effect of the streets. I was happy that there were calluses on his hands. I guess they weren't complete scabs.

Me and Mr. Felton nodded at each other, introductory like. It was all that was needed.

"You wanna meet the kids?" I asked, to break the silence and get me out of a room full of long lost family members. Or maybe it was to get the long lost family member out of the room of family members.

"Yes, we would like that very much." My mother said.

"C'mon." I left the room first, fast as I could without being rude. Mrs. Drucet had gone, probably to give us some privacy. See, I would have listened in. That's the problem with decent folk. Then they think they got to follow rules. That's what ruins everything.

Annie, her ma, and the Brysons were waiting for me and my other family to get done reuniting.

"This here's Alan." I picked up the little tyke. "The twins are Patrick with the cat and Conner. Levi's that one and Shaun's the other kid. Leah's older and that's Maggie."

"How do you do?" My mother asked. The kids all nodded or mumbled back the reply. At least Leah curtsied and Levi took off his cap. Ah well, I love them for it.

"This is my mother, my stepdad, Frank, and you two sucker boys know Emmy."

Levi and Shaun grinned sheepishly, remembering how they had left me with my sister to fend for myself, watching from a safe distance.

Conner pulled on my arm and I knelt down, knowing that he wanted to whisper something in my ear.

"I'm hungry and so is Patrick." Conner whispered.

I got up. "Is there anything around here that the kids could eat?" I asked.

"Haven't they eaten yet?" Mrs. Drucet asked. "It's quite a walk from the train station."

"Almost five miles." Frank added.

"We ate everything last night." Maggie answered nonchalantly.

"Besides," Shaun smirked at me and I knew it would be bad. "Max burned the bread _again_."

I stuck out my tongue at him, but my mother didn't understand. "Who's Max?" She asked. It would have been so much simpler if Emmy had told her.

"I'm Max." I sighed. She still didn't understand.

"Why Max?" I knew what she was thinking. Why the name of the man who beat us all?

"Just who I am." I shrugged.

"Back in December, she told me that she made it something different." Emmy added. I smiled gratefully back at her and realized that at least I was glad to see her again.

"First name that came to her mind in a tight spot." Levi also helped me out.

"Leastwise she isn't asking you to call her what the newsies call her." Shaun grinned wider.

I sent him one of my Looks. "Do and die." It wasn't a threat, more like a warning.

Emmy got another one of her stubborn looks and I knew that she was going to find out what it was. At least she waited.

"I'll warm up the breakfast food." Mrs. Drucet left for the kitchen, dragging Annie along with her.

Frank and Levi had been staring down at each other. I think I was the only one who noticed, aside from Mr. Felton. Frank held out his hand to Levi and Levi shook it.

"You want to come out to the barn with me?" Frank asked.

"Sure." Levi answered. I tried to go with them, but my mother stopped me.

"Katie, do you want to come with Emily and I? We can show you your room."

I gave one last despairing look at the two boys, then agreed.

"Can the kids come this time?" I asked. My mother nodded.

"I hope you'll excuse me." Mr. Felton said. "I have some paperwork to do."

Leah grabbed Alan, who was trying to dart off, and followed me. I had to call for Conner. That boy sure did know how to disappear on a person.

So we ascended the staircase. I was kind of anxious to see what my room would look like. First room I'd ever had that was just for me. Not like it was going to stay that way. I hadn't slept in a room without my friends or family for a whole year. I'd had the newsies, then the Brysons. I'd feel so odd about it.

Then I had a thought. What if my room was pink? I had no idea what kind of girl I'd been before my mother left, though I guessed I had been sort of a tomboy. What if they thought I'd be the kind of girl who wanted a pink, fluffy room? I'd take anything they gave me, but I'd be hard pressed to breathe in such a room.

I started to pray.

Luckily, my mother had settled on a nice, soft shade of white. I liked it, I decided, white. It was so neutral.

There was a big, queen-sized bed right in the middle of the room. In a flash, I knew that me, Maggie, and Leah would be sharing it, no matter what my mother thought. The wooden floor was smooth and polished. There was a desk by a big window and a wardrobe on the other side. All in all, it looked rather nice.

My mother snapped. "Oh, Katie, we've got so much planned. You can go to the school here, I remember how much you loved school back in New York. And we can get the tailor out here and have picnics and…"

I sighed.

**Took me a long time to write this chapter. I've got some good things planned for the next chapter though. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer - Though I haven't mentioned The Newsies that much, the fanfic still includes them and therefore isn't property of yours truly. I'll get over it.  
**

**CHAPTER 8**

I did what my mother wanted for a day and a half. While Levi, Shaun, and Frank were riding horses, I was getting tailored for a whole new wardrobe. When Maggie, Patrick and Conner were playing with the barn cats, I was making cookies with my mother and Emmy. When Levi, Leah, Shaun, and Maggie were playing tag out in the pastures, I was having a picnic with the Family.

When I cracked, I was sitting on a soft, horsehair sofa. I was wearing a beautiful, blue dress with lace at the bottom and my hair was done up nice. I was the cleanest I'd been in years. All of us took baths a couple times a week now. I was holding an embroidery hoop and struggling with a needle and thread.

I threw it down. "I'm done." I ran out of the room, leaving a very surprised mother. I ran to my room and was out of that dress in five seconds, leaving it crumpled on the floor. I slipped on my pants and my shirt and vest. I put on my old, battered shoes and my cap.

I found Levi and Shaun riding horses in the pasture closest to the house. They didn't see me, but there was an extra bridle hanging on the fence. I grabbed it and went after a horse that looked just the right size for me. It was well-trained, because it let me put the bridle on. I led the horse over to the fence and climbed aboard.

I wasn't nervous, though I hadn't rode yet. I'm sure I wouldn't care if the horse galloped until the end of time, just because I wouldn't be in the house. I held tight around the horse's middle with my legs and kind of kicked him like I'd seen riders do. The horse took off at a trot and I stiffened. I almost fell off, but I caught myself at the last second. I got the hang of it pretty fast and I got cocky. I kicked the horse harder and it took off at a run.

I bounced along like a sack of potatoes. I started sliding to the left, but there wasn't anything I could do to help myself. I fell off and had the sense to let go of the reins before I got dragged.

When I hit the ground, the air was knocked clean out of me. I just lay there, trying to figure out if I was going to live. Levi and Shaun were at my side, trying to see if I was okay.

Now, I may not have known how to ride, but I sure understood not giving up. Besides, I had a horrible mental picture of my mother running towards me.

I got up, gasping for air. My horse hadn't gone far after I'd fallen and I walked towards it. I mounted up again, this time Levi was there to give me a boost.

As I turned the horse around, I saw my mother watching, one hand to her mouth. I grinned at the scare I must be giving her. I kicked the horse into a gallop.

After a few more falls, I was riding like I'd always known how. I figured out how to move with the horse and hold on with my legs just the right way. I guided my horse so that I could be next to Levi and Shaun, who from horseback were watching my 'show.' Sucker boys.

"They let you out?" Shaun asked.

"I escaped." I answered grimly, making them laugh. "I should've told them that Leah was me."

"We're glad you're back." Levi said. "We weren't sure we knew this pampered, polite girl that was there."

I made a face at him. "Race you to the end of the pasture!"

I kicked my horse into motion, getting a head start. Then again, I didn't have a saddle and couldn't go as fast as the others. Shaun won.

When I caught up, they were waiting for me with smirks on their faces.

"I don't suppose the newsies would believe all this." I said. "Us riding horses in a scab's pasture."

"Or you wearing a dress and sewing like a pretty china doll." Shaun teased.

"Frank told us you were going to school next Monday." Levi told me.

"What?" My jaw dropped in shock. "When was I gonna hear about this?"

Shaun shrugged.

"Well, I'm not going without all of you."

"Tell your ma that." Shaun laughed at me.

"I will." I turned around my horse, heading towards my mother. Mr. Felton was also there; my mother was talking to him.

"I'm not going to school without Levi and Shaun." I interrupted them. Both looked at me with surprise. "I want Leah to come too, maybe even Maggie."

"We can talk about it later. You don't have to finish your embroidery, but what else do you want to do?"

I winced. "I want to ride. With the boys."

She began to protest, but Mr. Felton cut her off. "Eva, why don't you do in the house? I'll talk to her."

My mother listened to him. I'd forgotten her name was Eva. I was nervous because I didn't know what to expect. Sure, he'd gotten my mother off the hunt, but maybe he was gonna yell at me.

"Listen, Ka-. Do you want Katie or Max?" He asked. I was surprised. Obviously, I told him Max. "Max, your mother feels like she has to make up for everything you two missed out on doing together. She missed you a lot."

"I know that." I retorted, even though he wasn't trying to make me feel guilty or chastise me. "Back home, I don't sew. I don't get new clothes and I sure don't go to school. I want to have fun."

"What do you think is fun?" He seemed actually interested in what I was going to say, so I thought about my answer.

"I like to run and climb." I thought of our fire escape escapades and grinned. "I guess I like riding now. I like to work."

"You are a newsie, right?"

"Yes, sir." I answered proudly.

"Well, your mother has her heart set on sending you to school. I suppose she wanted to when you were a child and couldn't. She'll want to send you to the best, but I don't think you'll want that. It's the Burton Academy for Girls."

I was already shaking my head. "No way. Isn't there a kind of less…scabby school?"

"Yes, it's the public school. That's where Frank went. I think it's a good school and you'll feel more at ease there. Of course, your friends could go too."

"Thanks sir. Only, I don't like having so many nice clothes and them not having so much. Couldn't I wear something not as nice?"

Mr. Felton laughed. "Yes. We have some old things of Frank that would fit Levi and Shaun, too. Leah could probably share your things, you two look about the same size."

"I'd feel better about that. Do I still have to go find mother and do stuff with her, sir?"

"I think you need to play. Oh, and call me Ron."

"Thanks, Ron. What's this horse's name?"

"He's Sinbad." Ron chuckled at the name. "Ask Frank."

I rode up to the boys, wanting to share my newfound freedom with them.

* * *

My mother insisted that I go to church. Now, I kind of stopped thinking there was any sense in religion. I mean, I did believe in God and I prayed, but I didn't care for going to church and listening to a priest drone on and on about nothing. So that brought about the second Civil War. 

"I don't go to church! I hate it! C'mon, I can't sit still." I complained.

My mother was shocked by my attitude. I mean, I think she thought I was a bloody angel after she left.

"Kate Felton, you have to go to church."

"It's _Costa_."

"Never mind. I also want my friends to meet you. They've heard so much about you."

Hmm. I'm sure. "I'm not a show dog."

Ron stepped in. "Max, it's not that long. Just two hours. You'll meet some kids your age."

I liked Ron, and wanted to please him. "Fine. I'll go. But I don't want to wear the frilled up dress with the lace. I'm not a lizard either."

Half an hour later, I was in one of my good dresses. It wasn't pink, white with blue trim. Leah was wearing another one of my dresses, and though it wasn't a perfect fit, she loved it. Levi and Shaun were wearing some of Frank's old things, but they looked nice enough. Maggie had on a dress that Leah had sewn for her out of some of my mother's cloth. Conner and Patrick were in their old things, same as Alan. Frankie-boy was all duked out in a suit and tie. He looked like a miniature version of Ron. My mother had a weird hat that I've seen on the well-to-do of New York. It had a dead _bird _on it.

We rode in a wagon, my mother and Ron in the front, all of us kids in the back. Emmy sat primly on a hay bale, but Frank, the Brysons, and me fooled around

Frank, well, he was okay for a brother. He was tough, not wimpy. He would have made a good newsie. Anyway, he and Levi are pretty good friends now.

Well, when we pulled into the church, Leah froze.

"Levi, we can't go in there. We're Catholic."

I was surprised and I stood behind my mother. "I thought you were Catholic." I told her.

"Well, I was, Katie, but your stepfather is Christian. We just decided to convert instead of going to different churches."

"I'm Catholic." I answered. "So is Levi and them. We have to go to a Catholic chapel."

"It's alright." Levi called. "Me and Leah are the only ones in our family who care about religion and we're okay with going to a Christian church once or twice."

"What's it matter?" Shaun asked Levi. "No one will know what church you go to. No one knows us here."

Shaun needed a little education about the omnipotent God.

Our big, messed-up 'family' barely fit on one pew. Alan was on Leah's lap and Patrick and Conner were squished up against one another. Of course, I was by my mother, but Shaun was on my other side, so it wasn't that bad.

We sang a song, actually _they _sang a song, since we didn't know it. Then the minister started to talk and the fun began.

I didn't start it. For once, I didn't start it. Then again, I did make faces at Alan. Then, Alan started squirming and Leah tried to calm him down. Conner started tapping his feet and Patrick started playing with something stuck in his shirt.

'Oh no.' I thought. 'He didn't.' But he had. Patrick had his not-so-little kitten inside his shirt. It's a wonder it wasn't out already.

But it got out, and was running up and down the rows. Me and Shaun were laughing, trying to keep it quiet, but failing. Levi was looking mortified and Patrick was about to cry.

Well, I wasn't going to go chasing after a kitten. I don't think I could have, as hard as I was laughing. My mother was shooting me looks, but Frank was starting to laugh too. Ron was grinning and Emmy was biting her lip, eyes dancing. Levi had to make a snatch for little Alan when he started to crawl under the pews, meowing like the cat.

Shaun had to make things worse by poking Maggie, whose good old Irish temper forced her to wallop him on the arm. Conner started kicking the pew in front of him and Leah whisper-yelled at him. Patrick was standing to follow the progress of his cat and Levi grabbed his arm to get him to stay. That set Patrick off, who began to whimper. Emmy had a hand over her mouth and Ron was chuckling softly. Patrick was fighting Levi's grip and Conner, loyal to his twin, did the same. Maggie kicked Shaun and Leah tried to comfort Alan. I was no help. I just observed through my laughter.

The people all under us were giving us looks and some of the children were taking our cue and fidgeting. Even the minister had noticed us through his droning. Then, the kitten started to run under the pews. I saw it go under the bench just in front of us and I lunged for where I knew it would come out.

I held the scratching, mewling cat tight to me and looked proudly to whoever was in front of me. It was my mother. I think I just stared at her and she at me. Then, praise be, she started to giggle.

I got up, not wanting to let the cat loose again. I gestured to Maggie and I walked out of the church, trying to ignore the looks the respectable folk were giving me.

So in the end, I managed to get out of the rest of the service. Me and Maggie played outside in the grass with the cat.

The townsfolk started pouring out of the church. In less than a minute, children were underfoot and adults were mingling. Still didn't beat the noise of New York.

I saw my mother, leading two of her friends. I winced, then put on my best smile. "Hello, Katie." My mother said. "Did you be good and listen to the service?"

"Yes, ma'am. What I was blessed enough to hear, anyway." I added.

"Is this your cat?" The fat, tall hag looked down her nose at the cat who Maggie was playing with.

"My little brother's." I answered. Big mistake to call him my brother in front of those two. Especially with my luck, Patrick ran up that very second. Of course, he didn't say anything, cause he couldn't. He hugged his cat.

Is this your foster-brother?" The short white-haired witch asked.

"No, ma'am, he's my _brother_." I said firmly. Patrick was catching on to what was going on and he looked up at us.

The Witch shook her head as if I didn't understand. "He's not your real brother, so he's your _foster_–brother."

The Hag agreed. "Isn't that right, Eva?"

My mother was between a rock and a hard place. If she said that Patrick was my foster brother, she had me mad at her. If she didn't agree with her friends, then they would be mad at her. I saved her.

"Patrick _is _my brother. Just as much as Frank. Ain't no such things as fosters when it comes to my family."

Patrick was bolstered by my determination and stood next to me, arms folded.

"The boy must know the truth." The Witch just wouldn't give up. "Tell me, boy, are you her real brother?"

Patrick nodded uncertainly.

"Answer me. Be polite, boy." The Witch ordered him.

"Alright, now, that's enough." My mother said firmly. They didn't listen to her either.

"The boy has a name. I suggest you use it." I put my hands on my hips and glared at the Witch and the Hag. Maggie grabbed the cat and stood next to me. Her glare as good as matched mine. "_Patrick_ doesn't waste his breath on hags and witches like you. Don't expect an answer."

The Hag gasped. "Eva, the child is so rude..."

Glories of glory, my mother gave them a look. "And so she should be. Leave my daughter and her siblings alone."

I sneered at them and made my goblin-face. The Hag and the Witch gave a shocked grimace and bustled their buns away. My mother turned heel and flounced off. Me and Maggie slapped hands and I hugged Patrick, who was grinning from ear to ear.

That was when I first started to love my mother again.

**Sorry it took me so long to review, I'm trying. School sucks. Review please!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer - Newsies belongs to Disney, my fanfic plot belongs to me. Anyway, sorry it took me so long to get this out, but its so worth it. Plot moves forward, so hold on for the ride. Yah, I know, how cheesy. Whatever, you'll like it. Lots of action, anyway.**

**CHAPTER 9**

"Hurry up!" Frankie shouted. "You'll be late for school."

I sneered up at him as he rode by on his gallant steed. He went to a private college scabby sort of arrangement.

Us older kids were walking to school. Patrick and Conner were a bit shy, but Maggie was excited. Shaun was all pouty, hanging in the back. He didn't want to go at all, even less than I did. Levi and Leah were leading the way, urging us forward.

I gritted my teeth when I saw the schoolyard. I was used to being ready for any kind of situation, and here, I wouldn't be on top. I wasn't good at school stuff at all and I was the new kid again. This was going to be fun.

"Come on." Levi squared his shoulders and started off. Leah grabbed Patrick and Conner's hands and pulled them along. Maggie skipped along behind them.

"You know," Shaun suggested. "They aren't looking. We could always..."

"Shaun, come on!" Leah whipped around.

Shaun groaned and stomped along, me following, but with less stomp.

"Hey, Billy!" A boy called. "There's new kids!"

The schoolyard become silent as we stared each other up and down.

Billy, who looked to be as much of a leader as Jack was for the newsies, pushed to the front of the group. He was almost as tall as Levi.

"Where'd you move in to?" He finally asked.

Levi saw I wasn't going to answer. "We moved in with the Feltons."

A boy just as big as Billy stepped up next to him and sneered. "As what, the hired help?"

"I'm Kate, Mrs. Felton's daughter." I stepped forward and folded my arms above my chest. "And nothing is wrong with hired help."

Billy nodded. I suppose he wasn't mean or a bully, just rubbed off that way. The other boy wouldn't let it go.

"And these are the brats you call your family?" The other one said. I somehow got an image of the Hag. I guessed that he was her brat.

Levi and Shaun stared him down.

"These are the brats that are my family." I answered.

"Leave them alone, Alex." Billy ordered.

Alex sent Billy a murderous look, but listened to him.

"I'm Billy Anderson." Billy stuck out his hand to Levi, who shook it.

"Levi Bryson." Levi grinned at Billy. I guess he knew he had a new friend.

"Hello, Katie." Billy nodded to me and I blushed. Okay, he was cute. He had wavy blond hair and these big brown eyes.

"Hey Billy, get over here!" A boy called out. "We need you to hold third!"

"Baseball calls." Billy smiled at me and Levi and left.

I think both me and Leah let out a sigh when he went. Both Levi and Shaun glared at us and we began to giggle.

"Boys will never understand." Leah shook her head.

"I don't think we want to." Shaun shook his head. "You're such girls."

The teacher came out and started ringing a little bell. All the kids, us included, walked towards the schoolhouse. We followed the teacher in, and stood like idiots as the others took their seats. She finally noticed us.

"Oh, you must be new around here!"

"Yah." Shaun nodded, a bit on the sassy side.

"Can I have your names?" The teacher sat down at her desk and opened a black book.

"I'm Levi Bryson." Levi said.

"I'm Leah." Leah poked Shaun to make him answer.

"I'm Shaun Bryson." The boy drawled.

"Kate Costa." I said.

"Maggie."

"Conner."

"This is Patrick and he don't talk." I rested my head on Patrick's head.

"Doesn't talk." The teacher said as she finished writing down the names.

"Right." I said. "Doesn't talk."

"How much schooling have you all had?"

Levi, Leah and me all exchanged a look.

"I can read and write." I offered.

Levi took over. "My ma taught me and Leah a bit before she died. Other than that, we haven't had any. We all know our numbers good."

For some reason that struck me and Shaun as funny. We both burst into laughter, before Leah quieted us. It was true though, we were all real good with numbers. We could add and multiply in our heads as fast as anything.

"All right. You three," The teacher nodded at Maggie, Patrick, and Conner, "Find seats near the front. Shaun, take your place with Richard." Richard, a friendly looking boy about Shaun's age, gestured to Shaun.

"Levi, take your place with Tony and Shaun, sit with Quinn. Kate, please take a seat with Rachel."

For some reason, as I moved to sit where she indicated, most of the class burst into laughter. I looked back at the teacher, confused. She just nodded for me to continue.

I sat with Rachel, whose cheeks were flaming. I smiled at her, but she didn't look at me.

"Alright now, class, take out your books."

School was alright, I guess. We did okay with the numbers, and Levi and Leah did alright with the reading. I read really slow and missed a lot of words.

There was a recess, which was good because I was getting all fidgety. When she let us go, I dashed out of there.

"Hey, Levi, you any good at baseball?" Billy asked.

"I'm okay at stickball. Shaun and Max..Katie are real good though."

"You two want to play?" Billy looked at us.

"Sure." Shaun said and I nodded. We took our places up at bat and waited.

Alex was on the other team. I got the feeling that him and Billy wouldn't have done too well working together.

When it was my turn to bat, Alex made a big show of moving in. Sure, I was pretty much the only girl playing, but still. I swung at the first ball, and missed. Alex smirked and I saw red.

The next ball was perfect and I smashed it. I drove it hard and it flew straight. And by chance, it flew past where Alex had been standing.

I was in and running. Shaun was on third, and he made it home. Quinn was on second, and he also made it home. I got to second, where I stood, biggest smirk on my face.

Oh, sweet revenge. Even when the bell was rung and Alex shoved me, my spirits weren't dampened a bit.

When I sat back down in my seat, I noticed Rachel hadn't come out for recess.

"Why didn't you come out?" I whispered. Rachel shrugged. "Did you get in trouble?"

She didn't answer and it wasn't until a girl behind us started throwing paper in Rachel's hair that I understood.

"Why don't they like you?" I asked.

Rachel gave me a crooked smile. "They'll tell you soon enough."

"Do you girls have something to share?" Ms. Parker asked.

"No, ma'am. I'm sorry. It was my fault." I grinned, embarrassed.

In less than a minute, the paper balls were getting thrown again and I snapped. I whipped around. "Cut that out!" I threw all the paper balls I'd been collecting for the past five minutes into her face. Shaun, Levi, Quinn and Billy burst into laughter.

"Is there a problem?" Ms. Parker questioned, a bit annoyed.

"No." I answered, still seething. At least I stopped the paper balls.

As the other kids left the schoolhouse at the end of the day, I waited for Rachel. "Thanks." Rachel said. "About the paper."

"No problem." I grinned, thinking of the look on the girl's face as she got papered. "You wanna walk home with us?"

"I live here, in town." Rachel said.

"Oh. Well, can we at least walk you to your house?"

Rachel turned to face me. "What do you want?"

"Um..." My voice trailed off before I cleared my throat. "Nothing. No strings attached."

"My mum is a tavern girl. She beds men sometimes, for money." Rachel said, matter-of-factly.

"So?" I thought there must be more.

"And that doesn't mean anything to you?" Rachel stared at me as if I was crazy.

"Rachel," I grinned at her. "I was a newsie, back in New York City. I sold papes with the children of prostitutes and I was almost down that road myself. It makes no difference to me what or who your mother is."

I got a real smile out of her at that. It totally transformed her sad little face. "So, Rachie, want that walk home?"

"Sure." Rachie picked up her books and followed me.

"Rachie's walking home with us, alright?" I told Levi, who was waiting with the rest of them.

"Where's her house?"

"It's over there." Rachie pointed down the road.

"Levi, I'm going over Quinn's, alright?" Shaun was already half-way gone and he didn't wait for an answer.

"Hey, you could come over." I stared at Rachie, just realizing this.

Rachie gave me the look. I seemed to be getting that a lot lately. "You can't be serious. Your mother knows who I am."

"My mother can't tell me what to do." I grinned. "Would your mum mind?"

"No..." Rachie said.

"C'mon, then. The barn cat had kittens last night."

"They're real cute." Maggie skipped along beside us.

"Alright." Rachie smiled.

Patrick and Conner ran up to us. Patrick showed us his notepad, which had a picture of a cat and the word C-A-T.

"Good job." I said. "You learn fast. Faster than I do, anyhow."

"You learn fast enough, Max." Levi protested.

"Oh, right." I laughed.

"Why do they call you Max?" Rachie asked confusedly.

"Um...long story." I said.

"She just don't want to tell it." Maggie told her.

"That's not true. It isn't anything special." I rolled my eyes. "After I...left my dad, I pretended I was a boy and one thing led to another, and I joined up with the newsies. Then I met Levi and his family needed help, so I helped, and here I am."

Rachie giggled. "I can't picture you as a boy."

"Oh, you should have seen her." Levi teased. "In her little pants and vest, no one could tell a thing."

That bordered disrespect and I slugged him hard, in his shoulder. He was tough enough that it didn't even phase him.

We got back to my ma's place and went into the kitchen, ready for a snack.

"Ma!" I yelled up the staircase as I passed it.

"No need to yell, Katie." My mother was in the kitchen, cookies and lemonade at the ready.

"This is Rachel. She's gonna stay over with us, okay?"

I know my mother knew who she was, but my ma just smiled and nodded. "Do you want some lemonade, Rachel?"

"Yes, please." Rachel smiled widely. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Katie could learn some lessons from you in politeness." My ma said.

I made a face. I honestly wasn't all that rude, maybe.

"How was your first day of school?" My ma asked.

"Crummy. I hate school." I moaned, but I don't think she even heard me.

"I love it!" Leah said enthusiastically.

"It was fine." Levi shrugged. "I like learning."

"I made two friends!" Maggie bragged.

"Jimmy's gonna teach me how to milk a cow." Conner said through a mouthful of cookie. Patrick showed my mother his C-A-T, to which she responded positively.

"Right." I muttered.

"Let's go out to the barn." Levi suggested. We all ran out of the room, nodding to my mother as we went.

* * *

The next day, I was sitting outside on the schoolyard fence. I was watching Patrick and Conner play ball with some of their friends. Levi sat down next to me. 

"What are you smiling about?" I asked, grinning back at him.

"Nothing." He looked across the schoolyard, following my gaze. I looked back at his face and watched it become serious. "When are we going home, Kate?"

"When did you start calling me Kate?" I wondered.

"Never mind. Sorry." Levi flamed. "But I gotta go take care of my dad."

"Your dad said we could stay a month."

"I know, but it's close enough there. He's going to think we left him."

"We'd never do that." I protested. "Honest, Levi. But you're right. We should go back."

"The kids really like it here." Levi looked at Conner, Patrick, and Maggie. "Alan's really taken to your mom. I know he's missed ours."

"What are you saying?" I couldn't figure out what he was getting at.

"Dad doesn't like the city too much. Maybe, we could find a job for him. He could live out here and all of us could get a place." Levi proposed.

I frowned. "I love New York. I don't want to leave."

"You already have." Levi said.

"What about Mush, and Jack, and Skitts, and David? They'll never know what's happened to us."

"Stuff like this happens all the time in the city." Levi argued. "One day there, gone the next."

"Can't we at least just go see Dad? We'll talk to him, and maybe we can bring him back. But maybe we can come back for the kids, and bring them home."

"Alright. But we should leave the kids here for now."

"Just you and me?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Your ma won't let us go without a fight, you know that. It'll be easier this way. I'll tell Leah and Shaun."

"We don't have any money." I warned him.

"We'll jump a train." Levi grinned. "C'mon, it'll be fun."

The adventure of the situation was getting to me. Levi could tell I was wavering. "Whatever." I waved my hand at him, brushing him away. I looked back at Patrick and Conner, then stiffened.

Alex and two of his cronies were shoving the twins around. I jumped off the fence and tore at the them, Levi not far behind.

"What are you doing?" I snapped.

"Just having a little fun." Alex shrugged.

"They're picking on us." Conner accused. Patrick nodded in confirmation.

"Leave my brothers alone. " Levi ordered.

"Or what?" Alex mocked.

"We'll teach you a lesson." Levi said sternly, face grim.

Two more boys came up behind Alex, giving the Brat four boys to his back. We were attracting a crowd, sure enough, but there weren't any to fight for us. None, until Billy and Shaun stepped up right beside us.

"Is that so?" Alex laughed. "Cause we've got one more than you. And one of you's just a kid."

Shaun's face reddened and he scowled. "I ain't no kid!"

"Prove it." Alex shoved Conner flat to the ground.

It was me that snapped. I sprung at Alex, fists pounding. No one was going to mess with my little brother.

All I could see was red, but I could hear Shaun shouting. "Take that, loser!" His words were punctuated with loud slams.

I took Alex by surprise, but he was older and bigger than me. He rolled me to the ground and pinned me to the ground. I struggled against him, but my weight wasn't good for much. He held me flat, grinning down at me, and suddenly I didn't like the way things were going at all. He was on top of me, and then he started kissing me. I held my mouth closed, but he was trying to force his way into my mouth.

I was crying, but someone tore Alex off of me. I wiped my nose and surveyed the fight. Shaun had two of the boys in control, Billy had another's nose to the ground, and Levi was smashing Alex into the dirt. A boy was trying to pull Levi away, so I tackled him. This was something I could handle, so I did. I punched him deep in the stomach, making him keel over, then I helped Shaun out with his fight.

"What is going on here?" Ms. Parker screamed. She had a wooden ruler with her. She whipped Levi hard across the back with it, to get him away from Alex. That boy was mince meat by the time she got Levi away from him.

We separated, Billy, Levi, Shaun, and me to one side, Alex and his boys to the other. We glared at each other from over Ms. Parker's rod.

"How _dare_ you!" Ms. Parker demanded. "At the beginning of the year, I firmly restricted any fights!"

"Well, we weren't here for the beginning of the year." Shaun drawled. "And you didn't make no mention of it yesterday."

"I thought city folk could handle themselves. I guess I was wrong."

That was a clear jab at our family and I couldn't stand that. "That ain't fair. We handle ourselves just fine, _ma'am._"

Ms. Parker stared at me. "Not if a decent lady gets herself into a schoolyard brawl."

"I threw the first punch." I stared her down, though she was clearly taller than me. "I ain't no lady."

"She's a whore." Alex hissed through the blood in his mouth. "No decent girl..."

He didn't get to finish, cause Levi was at his throat. He had his hands around the Brat's neck and was choking him. All the kids started shouting again. Alex's friends all jumped Levi at once. Without a pause, me, Shaun, and Billy joined in. Hey, it's action, right?

It couldn't even be called a brawl. It was a mess of wriggling bodies and careless punches and kicks. I was pretty good about only hitting the other boys, though.

We were dragged apart by some of the men who worked down the road in the saw mill. One of the younger boys had run to get them. They shook us like dead rats and kept a tight hold on us.

"Get yourselves into the schoolroom immediately!" Ms. Parker ordered the other kids. They obeyed, probably never have seen their teacher so angry before. Rachie gave me a victorious smile as she passed me. I grinned back.

"What should we do with them?" One of the men asked.

Ms. Parker looked the nine of us over. "Better keep them in the jail till their parents can come. They'll keep fighting unless we do."

We got led to the county jail, which had two cells right next to each other. Alex and his gang got put in one, us in the other. And we waited.

"Don't touch my brothers again." Levi warned them.

"We were winning back there." Billy told the boys. "We can do it again."

"Next time we'll have knives." Alex hissed.

"No, you won't." Levi smiled and it even frightened me. "You forget who you're dealing with. Us street folk are trained by the best knife fighters in our district."

Of course that was crap, cause I could use a knife, but never was trained. I wouldn't want to mess with anyone who _was_ trained.

Doubt entered Alex's eyes and he withdrew.

Hours later, two of the other boys' fathers came and got them. One of the pas sure looked mad and he had a thick belt. I didn't envy his son. Another one of the boys got picked up. Billy's pa came next.

"Billy, were you fightin'?" He asked, though it was obvious.

Billy swallowed, but drew himself up tall. "Yessir."

Billy's pa looked his boy over. "We'll talk about this in the barn." Billy nodded, then turned and gave us all a half-smile. I had a feeling that Billy was going to get himself whipped, but I ain't one to come between a boy and his pa.

Alex's ma and pa came in. I smirked at him as his ma, the Hag, pinched his ear.

"Why were you fighting?"

"It wasn't me, ma." Alex whined. "They started it."

I almost laughed as they dragged him out. I would have, but my ma and Ron came in. They sure did look mad. Well, my ma did anyway. Ron looked understanding.

"Kate Costa!" My mother yelled, just like back in the old days when I disappeared for a couple hours. "What on earth were you thinking?"

"Nothing." I smiled a little as Shaun tried to hide his laughter. He loved when I got in trouble.

"Don't laugh! My daughter doesn't fight!"

"Um..." I didn't want to break it on her, but I'd had my share of scraps since she left. "Maybe Emmy doesn't fight, but I..."

"I don't want to hear your excuses!" My ma scolded.

"Eva, go easy on her. Conner told us why she started it. There are times when a man...girl's gotta defend her family."

I grinned at Ron. "Yah. What was I supposed to do? They were beating on the twins. C'mon, give me a break."

"I've given you lots of breaks." My mother frowned at me. "It's time I crack down on you."

I gritted my teeth. Levi saw and grabbed my arm before I did something I was going to regret. It was too late though. "What are you going to do? Cause you can't whip me. I don't mind working. Only thing you can _try _to do is hole me up somewheres, but I can get out of that."

Ron hooted. "She's yours alright, Eva."

"No." My mother's face was dark. "She gets that from her father."

I stiffened and tears came to my eyes. A memory flashed back to me, the memory of the night I stuck that knife in my dad's chest.

Levi stepped in front of me. "Leave her alone." His voice was deep and forceful.

I could see that my ma regretted her words as soon as they came out of her mouth. "Katie..."

I wanted to make her suffer for what she said. "My name is Max."

"Kate, please.." My mother begged.

Shaun stood beside me, a silent pillar of support. I knew he and Levi would stand by anything I did, even if they didn't agree with me. That's what family was for.

"I killed him." I said, my voice even. "And I don't regret it. I'd do it again in a second."

Levi and Shaun's jaws dropped in surprise. My mother's hand came to her face. I guess she hadn't wanted to believe that I was a murderer.

"Me and Levi were going to leave tonight." I admitted. "We still are."

Shaun scowled. "What about me?"

"We were going to come back for you guys." Levi whispered. "I'll explain."

"Katie, please don't go." My mother pleaded. She was crying now, but it was like I was disconnected from reality. She brought up my father, then someone would pay.

"I'm going with Levi." I said. "Tonight. We're going back to the city, cause that's our home. Then we're coming back for the kids once we earn a bit more money."

"No, Katie, please." She sobbed.

"Max, just think about this for a bit." Ron tried to reason. "We can't stop you and it's your decision, but maybe you haven't given it a good turnover."

"We decided before the fight." I said. "Me and Levi. We're leaving as soon as the next train comes through."

Ron looked a bit sad as he opened the cell door. "Traveler's luck, then."

"Thanks." I nodded to him. "We'll stop back at the house to say goodbye to the kids and to get our stuff. We'll probably be back in a week or so."

Me and Levi and Shaun walked out of that jail like we owned the place, leaving Ron to comfort my mother. Good times, right?

**Wasn't it good? Please review. One of my other fanfics has only been out for a week and it has as many reviews as this. I'm aiming for fifty reviews, so help me get there.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm sorry that it took me so long to update, but I couldn't load the documents. Whoops. I hope you like it though. I'm thinking that I'm going to get up to 40,000 words, then stop.**

**CHAPTER 10**

"Max, give me your hand!" Levi leaned out of the railroad car and reached out his hand. My legs were pumping the dirt as I tried to keep up with the train. It had just started and was going slow, but it would speed up. I grabbed Levi's hand and pushed off the ground. Levi lifted me up and I landed in the bed of the car.

I tried to catch my breath. "That was fun."

"Yah." Levi nodded. "Now we've just got to wait."

I made myself comfortable among the hay bales. I guess they were sending it to the city for the racing stables there.

It was the night of the "school brawl." Me and Levi figured that since we'd lost the element of surprise, we might as well leave sooner than later. Shaun was angry at first that we'd have left him, but he understood that he needed to take care of the kids.

"Levi, what do you want to be?" I asked. "I mean, when you're older?"

Levi grinned. "I'm not old enough for you?"

I laughed with him. "Sixteen's old enough."

"Good." Levi leaned back, satisfied. "I'm not sure. I used to want to be a soldier, but I don't want to kill for a living."

I nodded. I could understand that. I still suffered from killing my father. Granted, killing a family member is different from killing someone you don't know, but I didn't need more deaths on my conscience.

"I wanted to be a storekeeper, until I watched one. He did the same things every single day. Now, I want to have stables."

"Like Ron?"

"Sure. Like him. I liked the work I did, and I could learn to do the bookwork. I could do it."

"I know you could." I encouraged him. "You'd be good at it."

"It pays off well, too." Levi grinned.

"Would you have the stable in the city?" I wondered.

"I dunno. The country is probably better for the horses, but I think I'd like to live n the city." Levi avoided my eyes. "What about you? What do you want to be?"

"Lots of things." I thought. "I haven't decided yet."

"You've got time." Levi reassured me.

We sat in silence for a while.

"I think I want to be a mum. I want to do a good job of it, too." I said, before I realized that Levi had fallen asleep. I settled into the hay and drifted off.

* * *

"Wake up!" Levi shook me. "We're at the station!" 

I got up quick cause I sure didn't want to get caught. I grabbed my bag and jumped down from the railroad car.

I was back in the city. I was in a warehouse type of thing, but I could hear the noise from outside and smell the city air. I was so happy that I hugged Levi spontaneously.

Levi gave me a one-handed hug and started walking again, one arm around my shoulders companionably. We entered the city bustle and headed towards Brooklyn, which was where our home was.

I was excited, though I held it in well. I kept pace beside Levi, occasionally turning to look at something new.

Levi laughed at me. "You've seen everything before."

"But I've been away for a month! Things change!" I spun to look at a half-built skyscraper.

"Hey, isn't that Mush?" Levi pointed.

I panicked. "Levi, I'm in a dress! He can't see me!" I was in a dress, though it wasn't a nice, fancy one.

Levi grabbed my arm and held me in place as Mush headed towards Levi.

"Mutty, where ya been?" Mush clapped Levi on the shoulder. "Ya got a girl? What's her name?" Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Stripper?"

I flamed. "Yah. That's me."

"You're a girl again!" Mush said in amazement.

"You knew?"

"Course we did." Mush shrugged.

"We came to get my dad." Levi explained. "We have to leave again."

"Where'd you go?" Mush asked.

"Long story. I visited my family in the country. Downright scabs, they are."

Mush whistled. "Guess you got a lucky break."

I shook my head. "I don't want to live there. I like selling papes better."

Both Mush and Levi laughed at me. "She gets the chance to live like a scab and she don't take it." Mush guffawed.

I grinned with them. "I guess I never made much sense."

"You could have told us you were going." Mush lightly shoved my shoulder.

"Didn't think we'd be gone so long."

"Going to sell today?"

"I have to check on my dad first." Levi said.

"I'd better go too. We can sell later today."

"See you then." Mush walked away, then stopped, and turned around. "Are you two...you know...together?"

Levi and me looked at each other and blushed.

"No." Levi answered, clearing his throat.

Mush saw that we were embarrassed and teased. "Well, you guys look good together."

With that, he took off and I couldn't look at Levi till we got to the tenements.

We pounded up the stairs, avoiding the children and drunks. We got to our floor and opened our door.

But it wasn't our home anymore. There were strange children playing on the floor and a strange woman standing at the stove. Her shocked face mirrored ours.

"What are you doing? Get out!" She shouted.

Levi looked down at the ground, confused. "This was ours. Do you know what happened to the man who lived here?"

The woman's face softened when she understood why we were there. "I'm sorry. They just told me I could live here."

"What about the stuff that was here?" I asked. "What happened to it?"

"The place was empty." The woman shrugged. "Maybe he didn't pay the rent."

"He always kept up on it." Levi turned to me. "Unless he got sick."

I pulled at Levi's arm. "C'mon. Let's get out of here."

Levi leaned against the wall, still shocked and confused. "Dad wouldn't just do that to us. He wouldn't."

I put my hands on his shoulders. "Levi, anything could've happened. We can look for him."

He laughed. "Are you serious? Look for one man in New York City? That's crazy, Max, you know it."

I grabbed his wrist and led him away. "We can try. We'll find him."

Levi yanked away. I turned to him, and there were tears in his eyes. "Max, he's gone and that's it. Let's go sell papes."

He looked so guilty, so heartbroken, that I felt sad for him. So I hugged him. And then, we went to sell papes.

We spent a week in the city, selling papes as always, paying the rent for the boarding house. Mush, Levi, and Les smuggled me in, since I hadn't thought to bring my boy clothes. Girls weren't allowed in a boys boarding house, so I had to hide. We stayed with the newsies, trying to ignore the responsibility of a family back in the country. By the time the week was over, Levi took me aside. 

"It's time to decide." He told me. "City or country?"

I took a deep breath. "Country is better for the kids."

Levi nodded. "That's right. Which is better for you?"

I thought hard. "I grew up in the city. I love the city. I don't want to leave it."

Levi started to say something, and I interrupted.

"But I will, Levi. I can leave it. It's better for the kids, and it will make my mum and Emmy happy. I'll have a good life there anyway."

"Are you sure?" Levi asked. "Cause we can come back and live here."

"I'm sure. We can hop on a train anytime we want to visit." I laughed.

"Alright. We should say goodbye to the boys and go back tomorrow."

* * *

The next day, we were sitting in a railroad car full of factory goods. 

"Need new shoes?" I poked through a barrel of boots.

"Put the top back on, Max." Levi groaned. "Don't want to get in trouble for stealing."

I stuck my tongue out at him, but closed the lid. "Spoilsport."

Levi opened an eye. "You think _I'm _a spoilsport?"

I perched on top of the barrel. "Sure."

He sat up. "I might just have to answer to that."

"I'm not ticklish." I said, a little too quickly. "I'm not."

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Remember three months ago?"

I sure did. My excuses weren't going to work. "Don't do it. Levi, get away from me."

He pulled me off the barrel and began to tickle me. I squealed and beat at him with my fists. I tried to wriggle away, but he just gripped tighter.

"Stop it, please, please, I'm gonna wet myself." I begged.

Finally, he let me go and I collapsed panting on the bed of the car. He stood over me, looking very proud of himself.

"Thanks." I drawled. "I feel good now."

"You're very welcome." Levi took up my seat on the barrel like it was his throne.

I got up slowly, then tackled him off the barrel. His mouth made "O" of surprise before his head smashed the ground.

I got up immediately. "Whoops. Levi?"

He moaned and rubbed the back of his head. "I hope you thought that was funny."

"I didn't, honest, I'm sorry. " I helped him sit up. "Is there any blood?"

"Sorry to disappoint you. No blood." Levi shook his head to shake the dizziness and ache out.

"I'm _real _sorry." I said again, hoping he wasn't mad at me.

He had a strange look on his face, which was inches away from mine. I hoped he hadn't hit anything and damaged it bad. _That _would have been hard to fix.

"Levi? Are you okay?"

Levi looked into my eyes and kissed me. And I froze, like an idiot. When he gently pulled away, I was still frozen, still like an idiot.

Levi turned an interesting shade of red and scooted backwards. A minute later, when I recovered, Levi was still suffering.

"I'm sorry." He blurted.

"Why?" I wondered.

"Cause that was really stupid."

"You didn't want to kiss me?" I asked, hoping he hadn't just kissed me for the heck of it.

Levi stammered. "I did, but you didn't, or if you did, you didn't say so and it was stupid."

I shut him up by resting my head on his shoulder. He put his arms around me and we stayed there until the train came to a stop. Actually, we both kind of fell asleep, and couldn't have gone anywhere anyway.

* * *

"They're back!" Maggie saw us coming and ran into the house. "Levi and Max!" 

Shaun sauntered out of the house, hands in his pockets. "Thought you weren't coming back. Where's Dad?"

Levi sighed. "I'll explain. Just get everyone together."

Shaun shrugged and went back into the house. When he came out again, Leah, Alan, the twins, and Maggie were with him.

We sat down in the pasture. Leah looked sad and vulnerable, guessing what we were going to say. She held Alan tight and rocked him.

"We went back to the tenement. Dad wasn't there. Someone else was living there."

"You looked, didn't you?" Shaun asked. "Didn't you?"

"Yah." I said. "But New York is big. We couldn't do much."

Shaun stood up and stomped off, running when he thought we couldn't see him. Conner and Maggie were crying, but Patrick remained impassive. Leah was holding back her tears, but it was a hard battle.

I was starting to cry just watching them. I was reminded of how I felt when I found out that their Dad, who was close enough to be my Dad, was gone.

Patrick stood, his face like stone, and headed towards the barn.

"I'll go." I said, standing up and following him. He didn't see me.

Patrick went into the barn and into an empty stall. He started to punch and hit the boards, sobbing. I let him beat it out for a while before I entered the stall.

"Patrick, it's going to be okay."

The little boy shook his head and sat on a hay bale. He wiped at his nose with his bruised hand.

"We'll take care of you." I said. "You don't have to worry about anything. We won't leave you."

"Promise?" Patrick said. I was so surprised that he spoke that at first I didn't answer.

"Yes, Patrick, I won't ever leave you. I promise."

Patrick started to cry again. I drew him down into a hug, and he settled on my lap.

"Ma said she wouldn't never leave us, and same with Pa, after Ma died."

"I'm not going anywhere." I smoothed back his hair.

I held Patrick until he fell asleep and then even after. I don't think it would have gone well if I'd been gone when he woke up.

When he did wake up, he couldn't stop talking. "I had a dream, and it was about my cat. He _flew_!"

I laughed. "Where'd he go?"

"He flew all the way to China and back, he did." Patrick was a fast, animated talker. I was surprised he'd kept it all inside for years.

"We'd better get your hands fixed up." I lifted one of his hands. The knuckles were bloody and bruised.

Patrick sucked his knuckles. "They're fine, see?" The blood was gone, and only the cuts were left. He spit to get rid of the dirt and blood.

I groaned. "That's disgusting."

"You did it in church last week." Patrick accused.

"I wasn't here last week."

"Two weeks then." Patrick shrugged. "You did it with a scab on your wrist. I saw."

"It's different." I had done it, it was just different seeing it. Maybe I would stop the habit. It sure looked gross.

We went into the house, to find the family at supper.

"We were just in the barn." I said, pulling out my chair.

My ma took one look at our dirty, tear stained faces and grimy hands. "Wash up in the bathroom."

"Do we have to?" I moaned.

"Yah, I don't wanna." Patrick added, getting an instant response.

"He talked!" Conner cheered, slapping him on the back.

"How did you get him to do that?" Leah asked me.

"He did it himself." I grinned, slipping into my chair and dishing up myself some potatoes.

"I told you to wash up." My ma scolded. Sighing, I got up and headed towards the bathroom. I heard her telling off Patrick for the same thing, and congratulating him on his talking at the same time. I splashed Patrick when he came in the bathroom.

Me and Patrick returned to the dining room, faces and hands clean, but a lot more wet than had been necessary.

Throughout the meal, Patrick couldn't stop chattering. It got to the point where Leah had to tell him to be quiet and fill up his mouth.

After dinner, the children left the table. Me and Levi stayed, both deciding that we were old enough to be considered adults.

"I guess it's a good time to discuss your future." My mother turned to me and I looked about nervously. It seemed that future had come up a lot lately.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. What do you want to do after you've finish school?"

I looked sheepish. "Ma, you know school isn't exactly my strong point.."

"You'll be finishing it, nonetheless."

I scowled.

Emmy looked pityingly at me. "I can help you, if you want."

That only deepened my school. I was sure _she _hadn't ever had trouble in school. Teacher's pet, all the way.

"I don't know." I shrugged.

"What are you planning on doing?" Ron asked Levi.

"I'd like to work." Levi said firmly. "When I'm much older, I want to have a stable."

Ron nodded. "Good choice. You could work in my stable, if you want. I'd pay you regular wages."

"I'll think on it, sir." Levi thanked him.

Frank sat up straight. "I'm going to a military school next semester."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

"No, really." Frank returned to his slouched position. "I'm going to be a officer."

"Good for you." I licked my fork. "Don't come to me when you get shot."

Frank sneered at me as the adults laughed.

They continued their small talk. Levi and I grew bored quite quickly and resorted to making faces at each other when the adults weren't looking. Emmy caught my bloated-frog face and gave me an old look, to which I responded with a serious one. Both Levi and I burst out laughing when she looked away.

Later that night, Levi and I went for a walk. I won't say what we talked about, cause some things are private, and I don't have to tell _everything._ I will say that we kissed again, and grew very much closer as a result of that walk.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Isn't as long as I usually write but at least it's an update, right? The epilogue is going to come next and it's going to be long, trust me. Hope you like it.**

**CHAPTER 11**

"We're going to get married." Levi said. "Me and Max."

"Katie?" My mother stared at me. "Is this true?"

"Naw." I grinned. "He means the _other _Max."

A year after Levi and me decided that maybe we liked each other a lot, things had really progressed. We figured it was time to get on with our lives.

Shaun hooted. "I don't believe it! Levi, you're an idiot!" Shaun got up and clapped his older brother on the back.

Levi and I looked at each other and beamed.

"You're only fifteen!" My mother protested. "You're too young."

"My ma was married at fourteen." Levi countered.

"Sides, age doesn't matter." I stuck my chin up stubbornly. "We're gonna get married."

Ron shrugged. "I think they're old enough."

"Just because I waited till I found Tyler doesn't mean she should have to wait once she's found the right man." Emmy winked at me.

"Sides," I pointed out. "We weren't _asking _your permission. We were sort of just telling you."

My mother looked at me, really looked at me. She sighed, with tears in her eyes. "My baby's growing up."

I groaned. "Ma!"

"I guess I can't stop it." My mum said. "You have my blessing."

"Yes!" Maggie threw her napkin up in the air. Patrick, Conner, and little Alan followed suit.

"When?" Leah beamed at me.

"We want something simple." Levi told his sister. "Something simple and _soon_."

My conniving mother's mind was already fast at work. "We could have an outdoor ceremony, if the weather holds. Outside of the church, so we can move indoors if it rains."

"Ma," I shook my head. "I'm Catholic, remember? Me and Levi want a Catholic priest to do our wedding."

"Oh, right." My mother said. "Well, I still like the idea of an outdoor ceremony."

Levi nudged me. I elbowed him back. "Me and Levi decided to go back to New York, after we get married and all. Levi is going to get a job, using the schooling he got here."

My mother's eyes widened. "Why?"

"We like the city." Levi said simply.

"What about us?" Leah said. She had a beau, a fine scrap of manhood.

"You can stay here, if you want." My mother was quick to offer. She had grown close to all of the children. Hey, I was fine with that. It kept her from getting too clingy.

"I'm staying." Leah decided.

"You just want to be with _Roger_." Shaun teased.

"Course she does." Maggie made a face. "It's _true love._"

"Why Roger?" Shaun groaned. "He stinks at baseball."

"He does not!" Leah defended. "And he's better than anyone in school!"

"Women like smart men." Emmy grinned at Tyler, who flamed.

"Shaun's got a long way to go." Maggie laughed.

Tyler turned to Levi. "What do you want to go into?"

"I dunno, but I sure am done with selling papes."

"Hey," I frowned. "I like selling papes."

"They'll be no selling papes when you're my wife." Levi said. "I can provide for the family."

He stuck out his chest and I giggled. "What family?"

"Aw, you know," Levi grinned mischievously. "All those babies you're going to be hauling around."

"Name the first one Village Idiot after his father." Shaun smirked. Levi ground his fist into his palm with a joking smile.

"If it's a boy, you should name him Joshua." Emmy suggested.

"No, Jarod or Aaron." Maggie listed.

"You should name him Max, after his momma." Levi grinned at me, proud at his cleverness.

I slapped the table. "I am not going to have a baby!"

"Course you will." Frank said. "You'll see."

"Guess it doesn't matter what I say." I slumped in my chair. "If you all say I'll be with child in the next year, that's what will be."

"We could wait two years." Levi tried to keep a straight face.

"Sure, sure." I groaned. "You're lucky I like you, or I wouldn't marry you."

"You are in _love _with me." Levi kissed my cheek. "You want to marry me."

I shrugged. He sure did have a point.

I looked at my soon-to-be husband, my many siblings, and my parents and I was happy. I was fifteen, on top of the world, and I had plans. I wouldn't mind a baby or two, resting on my hip as I cooked dinner for Levi. I smiled widely.

"Max?" Shaun waved his hand in front of my face before turning to Levi. "She's addled. Don't marry her. She's a defect."

I cuffed him in defense amid the laughter that came from my family.

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